


New Moon in Little Heaven

by RedheadedSuperhero



Series: ABO Detective Series [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Castiel, Crazy Villain-Couples, Detective Story, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Knotting, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Omega Castiel, Top Dean, Undercover, alternative universe, not very realistic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-04-30 16:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 69,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14500779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedSuperhero/pseuds/RedheadedSuperhero
Summary: Castiel worked safely behind his desk as a researcher for the Greenville Police Department – his job became a lot more interesting though, when his Captain asked him to infiltrate an old-fashioned community with a pretend-alpha-mate in order to catch a serial killer. But should he agree? Not only would Castiel have to struggle with the mission itself – undercover work really had not been in his job description – but he would also have to deal with his partner: Dean Winchester, the very man he had been in love with for over a year. Not that Dean knew anything about that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I really did not plan to write another Alpha!Dean/Omega!Castiel-FanFic, but… it just happened. Again.  
> To warn you at the beginning: This is not going to be in any way, shape or form even close to a realistic depiction of police-work. If you are looking for realism – look somewhere else. I am just indulging myself here. :-D  
> I am also deliberately a bit fuzzy on a few terms regarding the police structure. So mostly: An officer could be practically any police man or woman, detectives are usually involved in major crimes like murder, and then there are the Federal Investigators – the kind of people who work on a national level and usually act like they are more important than mere police. As for the names of the cities: I mostly picked some which seem to be quite common – but I never mean any specific (existing) place.

New Moon In Little Heaven

 

**ONE**

_New-Moon-Killer strikes again_

_Last night, another couple was found murdered in their bedroom. The victim and his omega mate have been found by a family member after the alpha had not shown up for work. The police refused to disclose any details to the public, but from what this reporter could learn, the alpha had been bound to a chair and made to watch while his mate got raped and then killed before the alpha’s throat was cut through._

_This makes it the fourth such incident in less than a year, in just as many states. If there had been any doubts before, it should be obvious by now that there is a serial killer on the loose. Like the three times before, the slayed couple had only recently mated for life, a male omega claimed by a male alpha. The killer seems to have his eyes on strong, dominant alphas, who were all successful and undeniable pillars of society. As of date, the police don’t seem to have any leads or suspects._

_No one knows where the killer might strike next or what to do to prevent an attack since he seemingly invaded innocent citizens in their homes unobstructed._

_Since the attacks only happened to couples who chose to live in the so-called_ old-fashioned way _and had all just previously moved to small communes which shared their lifestyle, it must be legitimate to ask if the murders had been hate crimes. We live in a time where alphas are told they should feel ashamed for wanting the omega to stay at the house and take care of the family. Then there is the date of the attacks – all had been on the nights of the New Moon, when alphas usually are relaxed and don’t leash out as violently as other times. It may very well be that some misguided omega-rights-activists have taken it upon themselves to…_

_(…)_

Castiel scoffed and let his eyes wander down the double-pages-article to the reporter’s signature. Of course. Instead of a name he found only an infamous pseudonym: _Metatron_. Castiel huffed out again and threw the paper in the trash can with an angry glare. He did not know who had brought this self-acclaimed _newspaper_ into the break-room for he was quite sure any detective or police officer would be just as irritated by the report. Even though not all of them might be opposed to the idea that omegas should still be kept in the O _ld Way_ – Metatron had made quite a name for himself by preaching how the subgender should stay at home and look after their mates –, however, most officers would be offended by the indication at bad police work. And Castiel assumed nearly all of his colleagues were intelligent enough to realise how ludicrous the assumption was that someone would fight for the rights of omegas by raping and killing them. But then again, the writer of the article did not seem to be too upset about the decease of the _omega_ -half of the couples.

But Metatron was right about one thing: There was a serial-killer hiding about, murdering newly mated couples. Since none of the murders had happened in Greenville however, Castiel could not say if the police were indeed stepping around blindly, or if they had a whole string of suspects. But the fact that the attacks all happened in different states could not make an investigation any easier. He himself knew too well how difficult it could be to coordinate the work of different police departments.

Castiel grabbed the mug in his hands tightly and tried to collect himself. The murders should not affect him so much, and neither should Metatron’s words. He took a deep breath, and suddenly, he forgot all about his irritation over the newspaper as he noticed a familiar scent. It was still very faint, and Castiel should not even have been able to pick up on it since his nose was not as keen as an alpha’s – but nonetheless, the butterflies suddenly started to dance in his stomach.

A moment later, a moderately tall figure stepped through the open door and Castiel could not stop himself from taking another deep breath, knowing who was in front of him without looking up. Castiel was abruptly set in a familiar state of both panic and delight. He had become quite used to this contradicting feeling since he had taken the job at the Greenville Police Department.

Ever since his first day, nearly two years ago, Castiel Novak had been in love with Dean Winchester.

Unfortunately, Dean Winchester did not seem to know Castiel even existed.

“Hey, Cas. Did the trash bite you in the ass or why are you trying to set it on fire with your murderous glare?”

Okay, maybe Dean Winchester _did_ know he existed. But he definitely was not as aware of his existence as Castiel was about the alpha.

Castiel looked up in embarrassment and desperately tried to think of something witty to say. But the wrinkles around Dean’s eyes made it even harder for him to think – in the end, his face just turned slightly red, and Dean reached for the half-full coffeepot. He had to turn around a moment until he had filled his mug with the lukewarm beverage, and Castiel let his eyes wander down the alpha’s body for just a second. There was a short, awkward (or maybe that was just Castiel’s perspective) silence until Dean leaned against the counter opposite of Castiel’s chair and sighed:

“Thank God, there is coffee. I swear, this is the first time this week I did not have to put on a new one. This might just be a sign that after a rough week, there is a slow and happy weekend awaiting me. No emergencies. Just me and my baby on the road. What about you, Cas? You got any plans?”

It took nearly two seconds until Castiel realised Dean had asked him a question. He had been trying too hard to look neutral, and to tell his butterflies to stop acting out just because Dean kept calling him _Cas_. He did not mean it as an endearing, personal nickname; the alpha probably just couldn’t remember his whole name. So stop rioting, you stupid butterflies!

Castiel got as far as to say “ahem…” while he desperately wished he had any interesting hobbies he could share, when he noticed a movement just outside the door in the corner of his eyes. He turned around to see Charlie, the local IT-genius, waving at Dean with a tense expression, seldom seen on her face. Instantly, the alpha pushed himself off the table.

“Sorry, Cas, I should go and talk to Charlie. We’ll catch on later, okay?”

Castiel only nodded, but Dean was gone already, listening to Charlie, who hurriedly said something about Jody Mills and an urgent meeting.

After he had checked no one was watching him, Castiel let his head fall on the table and groaned in frustration.

For goodness sake, why could he not once have a normal conversation with the alpha!

 

>><< 

 

Until two years ago, Castiel Novak had never believed in love at first sight. And even as his heartbeat sped up when he set eyes on Dean Winchester on his first day at his new job, he was sure it had only to do with the other man’s undoubtedly handsome looks, and nothing more. Though he could not remember ever having been so infatuated with anyone on appearance alone, and he was a bit disappointed with himself that his inner omega would react so strongly to a dominant alpha.

But he was not too concerned and convinced himself the other man was just worth looking at – and he was by far not the only one who seemed to enjoy Dean’s presence. Pamela Barnes took any excuse to touch him, the consulting psychologist Garth shot him love-sick glances almost every day and even Mildred, the nice lady who helped out on the 911-line, flirted constantly with him. And Dean flirted right back, with about anyone.

Castiel had watched Dean for nearly a year before he admitted to himself it was maybe more than just a superficial crush. Because then he should have been cured by now, right?

They never worked directly with each other – Dean was a detective, always out in the field, catching bad guys with blazing guns (or so Castiel assumed) while the omega was involved in the investigations in a less glorious way. Castiel’s speciality was research – and before he had started at the GPD he would not have guessed how good he was going to be in this line of work. But he hardly ever forgot any details, and finding out everything about the suspects or the victims of the major crimes was more interesting than he had expected – from old spouses to bank accounts or criminal records, it could all be essential for putting a criminal behind bars. He hardly talked with anyone at work, though, just sent e-mails to the leading detectives with the necessary information. And that was how he liked it since he did not have to depend on his “people skills” with a computer. But whenever he sent something to Dean Winchester, Castiel took nearly an hour to write just two or three sentences – but in the end, they were a perfect paradigm of written conversation. Dean’s answer hardly ever consisted of more than a short _thanks dude_ , which took him either two seconds or two days, depending on how much work he had to do or how important the information was.

In any way, Castiel tried to avoid writing to the alpha directly – since it was both time- and nerve-consuming. He much preferred giving the information to Dean’s partner, Sam Winchester. Never before had Castiel heard of two detectives working together who were that closely related, and he was still confused they were allowed to do so, but maybe the remarkable detection rate of the brothers had something to do with the silent approval of their superiors.

Unlike with Dean, Castiel had no problems talking to the alpha’s younger brother. Partly because Sam was just so warm and open, partly because Castiel had no crush on _him_ , and partly because Sam was another omega. There were not many of those in this line of work, and Castiel was glad to have some form of role-model. Because that was how he saw Sam Winchester. The tall man was confident and even worked as a detective instead of hiding behind a desk. On top of that, he was not using any scent blockers. And Castiel envied him this boldness.

It was the strangest thing: Roughly forty years ago, an abundance of omega medication had been developed. Suddenly, it was possible to prevent pregnancy with a pill as well as oppress heats and the usually strong omega scents. The scent-blockers did not work a hundred percent – but you needed to get very close to someone to recognise them as an omega. From a distance you would smell as neutral as betas. Quickly, scent-blockers had become a sign of modern-day omegas who were not content to attract a mate and cook them dinner for the rest of their lives. Every working omega had used them – especially those who were not mated. But since a couple of years now, a lot of progressive omegas had suddenly stopped using the medication – they claimed that there was nothing wrong with being an omega, and thus, you should not have to hide it. Castiel agreed wholeheartedly. But at the same time, he was not brave enough to go out without dampening his scent. There were enough alphas thinking they could take liberties as it was – he feared the enticing omega scent would only invite them to make a pass at him. Lots of alphas thought that as soon as an omega did not hide their scent, they _must_ be looking for a mate, or at the very least a quick lay. So Castiel was more than a little bit envious of Sam, who refused to hide his nature. But on the other hand, Castiel was not a giant. He assumed it helped if you looked like you could take even the toughest-looking alphas in a fight. He also assumed it helped to be in a serious relationship with one. Rumour had it that Sam might get mated any day now; he already smelled like Eileen Leahy constantly. And Dean seemed to be happy with his brother’s choice – Castiel had seen all three of them getting lunch together often enough.

But even if they hardly ever worked with each other, Castiel tried to at least _see_ Dean once a day – with well-timed coffee breaks or by personally bringing files to detectives he was less scared off, i.e. in love with. Dean was hardly ever found at his desk through daytime however, since he seemed to prefer to be out in the field, talking to suspects or investigating a murder scene. Sam was the one who preferred the _boring desk-duty_. But Dean usually came in late morning to join the briefings – and he often was found at his desk at night when there was not so much of a buzz in the open plan office. Sometimes Castiel suspected that Dean was almost embarrassed to have people know that he could actually read just fine – it would probably hurt his hands-on-alpha-reputation.

In his old job, Castiel had preferred to come in as early as possible and in turn, be back home in time for dinner. But gradually, he had changed his hours – because if he left late, he could walk by Dean once a day. It was pathetic, really, for he never even talked to the man.

On the other hand, Castiel did not talk that much in general. He knew his social skills were not that pronounced; he was shy to begin with, and the fact that he was an omega in a building full of mostly alphas and betas did not make him any more confident. Dean, however, seemed to be the opposite of him. The alpha talked to everyone easily and seemed to have a friendly relationship with more than half of the precinct. Even the city’s Captain, Jody Mills, seemed to share an almost familial bond with him. And it was not difficult to see why Dean was so well liked: He was always able to lift the mood with silly jokes and subtle flirting.

Castiel did not like the flirting; not at all. Every time Castiel left late and did not see Dean at his desk, he felt a slight sting of jealousy, convinced that Dean was enjoying himself with a pretty beta girl or, even worse, another omega. Then he was angry at himself since Dean could do whatever he pleased. And he had heard enough gossip in the corridors to assume Dean was not averse to one-time flings, even though the alpha had seemingly never started anything with a co-worker. He did not know why, but that thought satisfied Castiel somewhat.

The moment Castiel had realised he was in deep was the day Dean almost casually stopped a hostage-situation in a bank robbery-gone-wrong.

Castiel still didn’t know why the other officers sent an un-armed Dean Winchester of all people in to negotiate with the criminal, but less than an hour later, the doors opened and out came a dozen people who looked more than a bit rattled, including an old man gripping his chest like he was about to have a heart-attack and a mother with a crying toddler in her arms. They were followed by a man who held up his hands, seemingly no less scared than the group before him, and Dean Winchester, strolling out like he had just enjoyed a nice little chat, holding the hand of a six-year-old boy who looked at the alpha like he had just met Batman incarnate. But it was not the fact that Dean walked into the bank with a heavily armed person with no weapon to defend himself – Castiel had known before that Dean had some sort of hero-complex – or even the fact that he managed to talk the man out of his plans without any blood spilled. No, what got to Castiel was how Dean handled the situation afterwards. When his colleagues congratulated him or made well-meant jokes about his heroic commitment, Dean’s ears turned red and he waved them all off with a mumble of “he didn’t want to hurt anyone anyway”. And for an alpha – especially one who could be as boisterous and loud and cocky as Dean – to look almost embarrassed at the high praise of others… Castiel knew he was lost.

He might have even believed that Dean and he were True Mates, a term that was often used in books or movies, but then Dean would have felt the same way, wouldn’t he? Or maybe Castiel was just a sad example of someone whose True Mate did not love them back. Movies never showed those poor bastards.

In nearly two years, Castiel had been through different stations of his one-sided crush. At the beginning, he had thought this was all it was – a short-lived infatuation. Then he had slowly started to change his schedule to see Dean at least once a day, listening in on conversations… He had learned a lot about the alpha. And not just the good things. He noticed that Dean never put his mugs in the dishwasher, that he could act rather imperious and often talked before he thought about his words. Whenever something bad happened, he took it personal, like it had been his fault, but he never talked to anyone about it, just looked like he would punch anyone who said the wrong thing to him. But he was also fair, willing to take responsibility, and loyal towards his colleagues. And he tended to put himself in the line of fire to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.

And Castiel loved him, the good and the bad.

Even Gabriel, his brother-at-heart and only noteworthy contact outside of work, had noticed there was something going on. The alpha had teased him at the beginning, making fun that Castiel had fallen in love with a pretty poster-boy of an alpha. In more sober moments, he told him he was glad Castiel was interested in that kind of relationship again – after his less-than-friendly break-up with Uriel some years ago. But after a while, Gabriel had advised him to either make a move or banish Dean from his mind.

Castiel knew Gabriel was right. Having a crush on someone was fine, for a while, but you could not put your life on hold for the possibility of something that might never happen. Once or twice he had tried to find the courage to ask Dean out, just like that, but he had never gone through with it. He doubted Dean would be interested in him since most of the people surrounding him were pretty and funny. And he would still have to work with him afterwards. He knew that a rejection would probably be better than this constant state of what-if, but he could just not bring himself to approach Dean. So he tried to banish him from his mind.

Just a few months before Castiel sat in the office kitchen and stared angrily at a wrinkled newspaper, he had stopped leaving work late to accidentally run into Dean. He had even been on a date with Raphael, an alpha who had ran into him at a supermarket. Nothing had come out of it, and at the end of the night, Castiel had felt almost intimidated by the man and closed the door of his flat with a relieved sigh – but at least he had tried. And it had earned him a cheesy pep talk from Gabriel beforehand.

It was not like Castiel had been able to stop thinking about Dean altogether, but at least the alpha was not on his mind 24/7. And then things changed.

Four weeks ago, Castiel had saved Dean’s life – at least that was how the alpha told it. If you asked Castiel, he had simply made a phone call. He had been in the office when he made a discovery about a suspect that identified her as the murderer. Some feeling in his gut told him he should tell Sam and Dean _right this very second_. He had called Sam first, but no one picked up. Then – with a flutter in his stomach – he tried Dean’s phone. The pair had just been on the way to the witness, a Ms Abaddon, when Castiel reached Dean. With Castiel’s report in mind, the two detectives had been prepared for the rifle they were greeted with. Both made it out unscathed, and the red-headed murderer of her childhood friend was now awaiting a life sentence in prison. And Dean insisted that Castiel had saved his and Sam’s life that day.

And he had started to notice the omega. Dean chatted with him almost every day now. He had even invited him over for lunch with Sam and a few of his friends, Charlie and Benny. It was not like Dean had suddenly attempted to be his new best friend – much less anything of the sorts Castiel had been dreaming about – but he made an obvious attempt to get to know the omega. And more often than he liked to admit, those short meetings had ended with Castiel bumping his head against his desk. Why could he never think of something clever to say? Or, forget about _clever_ – something _normal_ , something other people would say. That would be an improvement. Most of the time, he hardly got out more than _yes_ , _no_ or _thank you_. But the rare occasions he did try to answer in full sentences were even worse. For example, once Dean said a body looked like it had been in a tickle fight with Edward Scissorhands – to which Castiel had replied “So you already have a suspect, that’s good” in a sincere tone. Usually, there was someone else in the room who started chuckling at his clumsy comments – while Dean just looked at him mildly confused and then shrugged it off. Castiel might not know much about pop culture, but he did know how to use google. So, ten seconds after those conversations, he hit his keyboard with his head for making a fool about himself. Again. That one time he had been out with Dean and his friends to grab a burger for lunch, he had not understood one of Sam’s comments and Charlie tried to friendly explain: “It’s an old joke, Cas. Like why six is afraid of seven.” To which Castiel frowned and then hesitantly answered: “I assume because seven is a prime number, and prime numbers can be intimidating.” The whole table had started laughing at that, and Castiel hurriedly smiled as well, trying to act like he had deliberately made a joke.

“What’s up, Cas? Had another great conversation with Mr. Super-Alpha? Did you tell him again he pronounced _wabbit season_ wrong?”

Castiel looked up, head still on the table, and into the laughing eyes of Balthazar. The beta worked in the forensic evidence department and had become the closest thing to a friend Castiel had at his workplace. Balthazar was also aware of Castiel’s feelings for Dean, and he liked to tease him about it. On other days, he tried to shove him in the alpha’s way. Castiel had been shocked when the beta first mentioned his crush on Dean – but he had calmed down after Balthazar assured him it was not that obvious for anyone else. But he had come to know Castiel well enough.

“No. I am pretty sure the only things coming out of my mouth were _ahem_ and _m-hm_.”

Balthazar laughed and Castiel tried to smile as well.

“Then – since you were obviously unable to score a hot date for the weekend – how about we meet at your place and I teach you some more about Star Wars?”

They had met a few times out of the office, mostly went to the movies or a coffee bar since Castiel was not the club-going type, very much unlike Balthazar. And sometimes they had ended up on Castiel’s couch and the beta brought some movies that _you simply have to watch_. At first, Castiel had not been sure whether the beta was interested in him, but since he had addressed Castiel’s infatuation with Dean Winchester, the omega had felt a lot more relaxed around the other man. He liked him, just not in that way.

“All right. But I fear Gabriel will be home as well. So be warned.”

When Castiel had moved to Greenville, he had crashed in Gabriel’s guestroom. It was supposed to be a temporary solution, but by now, he lived there. At the beginning, he had been grateful for the company – he had only recently split up with Uriel, and, even more recently, been fired from his first job. Years ago, Castiel had trained to be a detective as well. He learned how to handle a firearm and was good at combining evidence. However, he had never been great at talking to victims or witnesses, much less at getting a confession. Then, he had just been promoted from officer to detective after hard years of training, there had been that misfortunate case that left two police officers dead. And when there was blame to assign, everyone had pointed at the rookie omega, even though Castiel had only marginally been involved in the case. Unfortunately, he had been too insecure and unexperienced to even try and explain things from his perspective when Mr. Zachariah Adler had terminated his employment.

Castiel had tried to make the best of the situation and convinced himself it might be the right moment for a fresh start. And he was more than happy that the Greenville police force hired him as a researcher. Not least because it allowed him to move in with Gabriel, his oldest friend and another orphan at the Angel’s Children Home.

“Oh, I can handle Gabriel. I’ll just bring him a bunch of chocolate muffins and he is as tame as a kitten.”

Castiel liked both Gabriel and Balthazar – but together, they were an explosive combination. The last time they had been in the same room he had hardly noticed what the movie-of-the-day was about since both men had been trying to trump each other with witty remarks and snarky jokes.

Castiel opened his mouth to answer when he noticed someone at the breakroom door again.

“There you are, Castiel!” Donna Hanscum, personal assistant of Greenville’s Captain, poked her head in and wore her usual wide smile on her face. Castiel hardly knew the woman, but he liked her. It was impossible not to.

“What can I do for you, Ms Hanscum?” Castiel asked, bemused since he could not remember the other omega had ever looked for him before.

“For me? Nothing. Unless you have those muffins I just heard about hiding here somewhere.” She laughed at her own joke – and Castiel’s eyes widened, scared she might have overheard anything else. At least they had not mentioned Dean’s name. Or had they? But he had no time to worry as she went on: “Captain sent me to look for you. She needs to talk to you.”

“Yes. Of course. I’ll go… right now.” Castiel stood quickly and rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms over his pants. He could also not remember ever having been summoned to Jody Mills’ office.

“I’ll be at your place at seven!” Balthazar yelled after him, but Castiel already hurried through the corridors; in panic he went through his last assignments and tried to figure out if he had made any major mistakes.

On his way, he almost bumped into Dean – a sign of how nervous he was that he did not smell him beforehand – but the alpha seemed as deep in thought as him and only mumbled an apology absent-mindedly and kept walking, looking troubled.

 

>><< 

 

“Ms Mills? You wanted to see me?”

“Ah, yes, Mr. Novak. Thank you for coming right away. Please, close the door and take a seat.”

Bewildered, Castiel did as asked. The Captain looked at him with a sincere smile that had him calm down a bit. Maybe he had not made a terrible mistake after all.

“I am in a bit of a pickle right now, Mr. Novak, and I was wondering whether you could help with the situation. I have an offer for you, but at first, I want to make it absolutely clear that you don’t have to agree. There will be no repercussions of any kind if you say no. Understood?”

Castiel nodded, even more confused than before.

“But I also have to ask you that you will not talk to anyone about this conversation outside of this room, all right?”

Again, he nodded. When Ms. Mills still looked at him, he said: “Of course. I know about confidentiality.”

The answer seemed to satisfy the Captain as she picked up a newspaper that lay on her desk and handed it to Castiel. She pointed at a headline on the open page: _New-Moon-Killer slays couple in own bedroom._ The article seemed to be less lurid than the one Castiel had just held in his hands however.

“I am sure you have already heard about this alleged serial killer. Now, I have been in contact with the Federal Investigators as well as the Police Departments of the earlier crime scenes. As it turns out, at least two of the murdered couples had looked into new living compartments in the _Little Heaven_ commune for traditional marriages, just outside Kensington.”

“So… you think the killer lives there? Or…?” Castiel asked while he was still trying to figure out why he was sitting here. Kensington was not that far away – should he look into the lives of the inhabitants? But he had the feeling this was not about a normal job.

“Well… the problem is, we don’t know what to think. There are hardly any hints as to motive and the victims did not seem to know each other or have a similar circle of friends. The only thing that seems to be comparable are the living conditions of the couples. You know, it is always a very dominant alpha with a male omega mate, who chose to live in the Old Way. Well, one half of them _chose,_ anyways,” Ms Mills muttered under her breath – and Castiel almost smiled. He knew that his Captain had a strong aversion to gender discrimination. It was a huge part why Castiel felt so at ease in this building, in a profession that was outnumbered with alphas and betas. “But the only thing the investigators seemed to agree with is that the offenders _might_ have to do _something_ with this commune in Kensington.

“Anyway, we all came to the agreement to send some undercover detectives to snoop around a bit. Luckily, there are some houses up for sale and those kinds of suburbs are usually open to newcomers. _Little Heaven_ is your typical old-fashioned community. They are not like some of the more extremist groups like we have out in Madison or Franklin. But it is all very white-picket-fence where the alpha brings in the money while the omega stays at the house and thinks about ways to please their mates after they come home from a hard day at work.” Again, her voice betrayed how she felt about this.  “Now, since Kensington is in our state, we strangely are the first in line to send in a pair. However, we – like most departments – are short-handed in options. On the one hand, we need a dominant alpha, which should be easy enough to find in this line of work. But we also need a male omega.”

She paused, to let the words sink in. By that time, Castiel had already guessed where this conversation was headed, but he was still puzzled. Before he had to say anything, Jody Mills continued:

“We could just as well send any other alpha/omega couple, but _if_ this turns out to be more than just a shot in the dark, then we might gain another advantage with a possible target.” She did not sound like she expected that to happen. “The obvious choice would be to send Sam Winchester, but we don’t know how to set him up as the mate of a male alpha. There is no way we could make it believable for longer than a day or two. He might not be mated yet, but his partner is already so strong in his scent… it will be difficult to sell him as anyone else’s mate. And even though Ms Leahy is an outstanding detective, she does not exactly fit the profile.”

Castiel knew what the Captain meant: Eileen Leahy was an alpha, but she was also a woman and, on top of that, deaf. It did not stop her from being a great investigator – quite the opposite, her ability to read body-language was one of her big advantages –, but she hardly fit the stereotype of dominant alphas that all victims seemed to have in common.

“Unfortunately, our two other omega officers are either mated or female. But then there is you. As I know, you have finished your training as a police officer before you came to Greenville and you even gained some experience in major crimes. I do not want to pressure you into anything, but I did want to ask you anyway: Could you imagine going undercover for a couple of weeks?” She did not pause for Castiel to answer. “We don’t expect you or your partner to put yourself in danger. Hell, I don’t expect anything to come out of it since the evidence is poor. But it still seems to be the only lead we got.”

“What exactly would be expected of me?” There were so many thoughts spinning around in Castiel’s head, he was surprised he could form a coherent question.

“You would move to _Little Heaven_ with your partner, and then just live there for a couple of weeks. Two lunar cycles, at most. Get to know the other inhabitants and find out what you can. The team here will be working with you.” She sighed. “No one in Little Heaven has any criminal record or has been noticed near one of the crime scenes. But of course, we cannot be certain about that. Three of the crime scenes could be reached within a few hours’ drive… and that is the bit that bothers me. Not one of the crimes happened in our state, but all in close proximity. So, maybe, the murderer _does_ live nearby, and prefers not to hunt their prey in their own backyard but still close enough to disappear without anyone noticing.” She looked out of the window for a few moments, then turned back to Castiel. “So again, we just want to have some eyes and ears on scene. The problem is, the mission should start as soon as possible, but I don’t want to pressure you into a decision…”

Castiel swallowed, which was rather difficult since his mouth had become completely dry during the last minutes. The procedure Jody Mills explained seemed to be easy enough, but he had to live with an alpha for a few weeks. That scared him more than the possibility of acting as bait for a murderer. And it left open one important question:

“Who would be my partner?”

“That would be your decision.” Castiel looked at her with wide eyes and Jody smiled softly. “Of course, only as long as the alpha agrees. But I am aware that this is not an easy task to ask of you, and for this whole thing to be believable, it needs to be someone you would feel comfortable with. Someone you can trust. Otherwise, your scent would give away too much. Distress is not easily concealed – and from what we could learn, the omegas had been happy enough with their mates,” she said in a disbelieving tone. “Or at least they did not seem to be constantly scared. Now, unfortunately, you don’t work with the detectives too closely, so this will be difficult for you, no matter what. I could make a few suggestions of course. Like Mr Gadreel Ezekiel, who might not be as dominant as hoped but that just means he would be less intimidating, I assume. Then there is Benjamin Lafitte – quite dominant, but he has worked numerous undercover cases before, and has even done some courses on omega behaviour. I might even ask Bobby Singer to come out of retirement. It would be your choice however.” She looked Castiel straight in the eye; there was a directness about Jody Mills that Castiel liked. “I have worked some strange cases in my time as well, so let me give you some advice: Listen to your gut. Close your eyes and think about an alpha in this precinct you think you can trust. If there is no one that comes up, that is completely understandable, and I will look for another solution. Maybe the primary gender is not that important after all, and I can send out Donna with De…”

“Dean Winchester.”

Castiel opened his eyes and looked into Jody’s. His Captain seemed as shocked as he felt. Had he really just said that out loud? He could hear the blood rushing in his head and clenched his hands into fists to stop them from trying to cover his face.

“Dean? That is… would be a very good choice, actually. I just didn’t think you… I mean, I know that boy to the core, and he would never do anything to… but he does have a temper and I thought you would prefer someone more… level-headed. Or more… restrained?”

Had he been less tense, Castiel might have smiled at his Captain’s ramblings. But she collected herself quickly.

“I am sure Dean would be willing to take the job. He already knows I plan to send in an undercover couple and he and Sam would have been involved in the investigation anyway, but I have told him it was unlikely I would send him to _Little Heaven_. And I will not ask him yet. You need the weekend to think it through. We already bought a house, and a few more days will not hurt, hopefully.  I am sure you have not yet thought this all through.” She leaned forwards and again fixated Castiel with a clear gaze. “We would need you to stop all medication, Castiel. Your scent would be stronger than you are used to, and you might go into heat while you live with your partner. Of course, you will be left alone for the duration. You also…” She cleared her throat. “We need to fake a mating bond. For this to work, you needed to smell like him constantly, and your partner would need to bite you every two or three days, so the mark would not fade.”

For a true mating bite to catch, the omega needed to be in heat, and also needed to accept the alpha as mate. That kind of claim would never disappear – any other marks faded within days. But just by the looks of it, there was no difference.

“We will try to handle this all as professionally as possible, Castiel. But undercover work can get to you. And you will be in a vulnerable state, living among people who have not the same view on omegas as you are used to. But your partner will always be at your side, and if it turns out to be more than you can handle, we can always abort the mission. Those communes usually have a heavy fluctuation among newcomers – we could always send in another couple in a few weeks’ time. After we had more preparation. There is no pressure, either way.”

Castiel was convinced the Captain wanted to assure him with her last words, but Castiel could also see the frustration in her eyes. Even if she claimed she did not expect anything to come out of it, Jody Mills desperately wanted to do _something_. And obviously, Castiel was her best option. She reached over the table but stopped her hand before she touched him. Castiel imagined he looked about as torn as he felt.

“Go home, Castiel. Think about it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I won’t have a regular posting schedule this time. I have written quite a bit at the moment, and I’ll try to update once a week – but it may take longer as the story progresses. But at least I have already made detailed notes for the whole story, so I am quite optimistic it will be finished. ;-)
> 
> I currently aim at a length of 8-10 chapters.
> 
> English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes. :-)


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

 

For two days, Castiel could hardly think about anything other than the possibility of sharing a home with Dean Winchester. Pretending to be mates. For weeks.

It was Sunday afternoon, and he still had not made up his mind.

He had been intrigued at the idea of investigating a murder as much as he had been flattered that Jody Mills approached him. He knew her well enough to assume that she would not have asked him if she did not think he could do it. That definitely stroked his ego. And in any other surroundings, he might have agreed without thinking twice – but to live with an alpha, any alpha, while he was off his medication unsettled him deeply.

It did not help that he would have to live in a place where omegas were not seen as equals. The Captain had given him a file about _Little Heaven_ as well as one about the deceased couples, so he would have an idea of what to expect. As she had already declared, the small town was fairly medium on the creepy-scale of believers in the old system. There were no collars and the omegas were allowed to go out on their own, to have other omega friends and engage in social activities – but their most important task was still to serve their alphas. They would never disagree with them in public, and seldom in private, and let them make any important decisions for the whole family.

And all deceased couples had lived in communities just like _Little Heaven_. From what Castiel had learned about the victims, they had been happily mated, at least on the outside. There were no signs that the omega had wanted to leave; they even seemed to have been honestly infatuated with their mates. And Castiel had to remind himself that some might even prefer this way of life – maybe simply because they were raised that way, maybe because they estimated their own value too much through their mates, or maybe just because they were in love and agreed with the other one’s choices just to be with them.  And Castiel did not believe that all omegas who stayed at home, especially if there were kids involved, were oppressed by their mates – but it should be their decision. And towns like _Little Heaven_ laid too strong an emphasis on the whole “obey your-alpha”-shtick; at least in Castiel’s opinion.

He tried not to lecture the victims about contemporary omega rights in his mind since it was futile. All four omegas were dead, and no one could say if the bonds would have lasted a life time.

With three of the couples, there had been numerous witnesses who indicated that the alpha had used the _Alpha Voice_ on multiple occasions; whenever they were displeased with their mates. Castiel shuddered at the thought and pushed away the memory of Uriel. That would not help him now – he had been able to resist, and that was all that mattered. If an alpha said something with enough strength behind it, it was hard – and physically painful – to disobey. But it was not impossible. It did not only work on omegas, however – but they were far more susceptible than betas or the more docile alphas.

Castiel opened the file about the first couple again. The pathology had found old wounds and injuries on the omega that indicated he had been physically abused. Different whips in their house implied the alpha might have punished him quite regularly. Castiel frowned. In contrast, there was no evidence on the third couple that they might have been anything other than a happy mated couple, consisting of an attentive alpha and a doting omega. The other two pairs were somewhere in between – the alphas were obviously strict believers in the omegas-should-be-submissive-rule, but not physically violent. Reading the files, Castiel could comprehend how difficult the investigation must be. There were a few similarities among the couples, but nothing palpable, nothing that linked them together in any obvious way. His best guess would be that the victims had been picked at random. They might just have said something that had ticked the murderer off, in traffic, or a restaurant. But there were no signs of a break-in, so probably they all did know their killer after all.

He could not get the thought of the dead omegas out of his mind – looking at the photographs of the crime scenes, he was almost sure they had been tortured and killed just to humiliate their alphas. Used like a tool.

Castiel closed the folder and let out a long breath.

Living in a white-picket-fence-suburb seemed to be a small price to pay if they would be able to find something to prevent another attack.

And he would hardly be observed all the time. He felt confident he could fake being a submissive mate while they had guests or talked to their neighbours. Well, his alpha would do most of the talking anyway.

His alpha.

That was the other problem, of course. When he had closed his eyes and thought about an alpha he would trust with his life, Dean’s name came to his mind without hesitation. And Castiel doubted he could bring himself to live with any other alpha. He would not trust Benny while he was in heat or for Gadreel to not use his Alpha Voice to order him around. And he even _liked_ Gadreel and suspected he would probably be more sympathetic to his insecurities than Dean.

It was hard to explain why living with a strange alpha seemed so scary to him. But without scent blockers or heat suppressants, he would feel too much like easy prey. And the fact that he would have to wear both the mark and the scent of his partner might easily provoke a genuine possessive behaviour from any alpha.

Not that he thought Dean would take advantage of him or voluntarily hurt him. That was just not who he was. Or was it? How would Castiel know – stalking someone through lunchtime did not necessarily make you an expert on that person.

The thought of sharing a house with Dean was also unsettling for a reason that had nothing to do with trust. Castiel did not know if he would be able to hide his feelings in such proximity. He thought about what Jody had said about the mating bite and could instantly feel his body respond with interest. He smelled the faintest whiff of slick in the air. And to think he would be around that man for weeks!

At least, those kinds of old-fashioned communities were not exactly believers in PDA – so he probably wouldn’t even have to hold the alpha’s hand in public.  But in private, Dean would have to mark him regularly, which was about as intimate as it could get.

Castiel scoffed.

But then again, it was not like Dean would bite him in the middle of the night while they were naked in bed. They would be clothed and probably sit in the living room in broad daylight – nothing arousing about that picture. It seemed mostly awkward, in a healthy way. Castiel would be too nervous to slick. And even if he did – it was a natural reaction after all. Nothing special. Dean should feel the same. Castiel frowned at himself as he thought about the possibility that Dean would not even be a little bit aroused when he bit into the soft neck of an un-ma…

“Ouch!” Castiel grumbled out as he felt something poke into his shoulder. It was a fork, attached to Gabriel’s hand.

“Serves you right for not listening. I asked you three times if you wanted the last muffin.”

Castiel hugged the closed folders to his chest and looked at the empty plate in Gabriel’s other hand. He frowned in confusion.

“Too late now, buddy. I only ask once. Then I ate it.”

“Then why did you ask two more times?” Castiel still rubbed his shoulder, a bit dramatically maybe. But living with Gabriel was not always easy – and sometimes Castiel liked to emphasise his suffering.

“To get your attention,” Gabriel answered like it was the most obvious thing.

He jumped on the couch next to Castiel and laid an arm around the omega’s shoulder, fork still in one hand, empty plate in the other.

“You have hardly spoken a word this weekend – which, admittedly, is not that strange for you. But you also have this weird look on your face. Like you are in a fight-or-flight-time-loop. For two days now.”

“You know, this isn’t even a bad metaphor for my situation.”

“Glad I could help. Now. Tell me.” Gabriel poked Castiel’s arm with the fork.

“I can’t.” Another poke. “No, I mean it, I can’t. It has to do with work.”

“Ah. Mr. Dean I-am-so-alpha-everyone-should-fall-to-their-knees Winchester.”

Gabriel did not like too dominant alphas. Castiel sometimes assumed it was just jealousy since his old friend had heard more times than he could count: “What? You’re an alpha! I would have never guessed…” Gabriel usually shrugged it off with a sly joke, but Castiel knew it hurt him sometimes.

“It has nothing to do with… well, not directly. I mean…” Castiel threw his arms in the air in frustration.

“Slow down, young padawan.” At least, with the Star Wars-marathon of last Friday, Castiel knew where that expression came from. “You have to make a decision for work? And it somehow involves Winchester?”

Castiel nodded.

“Would you do it if Dean was not involved?”

Castiel shook his head no.

“Then don’t do it. I thought we agreed you would not arrange your life around the alpha anymore.”

“But it’s not like that. I would not be doing it _because_ of Dean…” He thought – if he took the job, he would have to tell Gabriel some part of it anyway. “The captain asked me to… take a seminar. An important one. But I would have to be accompanied by an alpha. And Dean is the only one I would feel comfortable with.” He raised a hand as Gabriel opened his mouth. “No! Because I feel safe with him and I trust him. Nothing else.”

“And that… seminar?” It was obvious that Gabriel did not believe Castiel would just sign up for further education. “You want to do it? Alphas aside.”

“Yes,” Castiel answered and was surprised by the conviction in his voice. He wanted to take the job. Someone had to – and he was the best option at the moment, even if he was far from a perfect solution. He thought about the omega victims no one seemed to care about – he wanted someone to look into their deaths, someone who cared. It was a cheesy thought, but there it was. So he repeated in a loud and firm voice: “Yes, I want to do it!”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Wow, that must be one hell of a course.” He stood and looked down on Castiel: “Just don’t agree to anything reckless, Cassie.” Before the serious comment could fully reach Castiel’s mind, Gabriel added: “And if that alpha harms you in any way, I will slice off his balls and feed them to a goat.”

“A goat?”

“Yes. A goat.”

“Why a goat?”

“No reason,” Gabriel shrugged and went back into the kitchen, probably to look for more sweets.

 

>><< 

 

On Monday, Castiel walked directly to the Captain’s office. He was fairly sure she would be in already – since he had arrived rather late this morning.

“Mr Novak, I am glad you came right to me. Have you made up your mind?”

She indicated at one of the chairs in front of her desk and Castiel sat down, legs suddenly a bit wobbly.

“Yes,” he answered with a voice firmer than his legs.

Jody Mills waited and after a while, Castiel could see the shadow of a smile in her eyes. “And? How did you decide?”

“Oh, sorry, I meant to say: Yes, I will take the job.”

Ms Mills looked surprised but pleased. Still, she inquired: “You thought about this? Have you changed your mind about a partner? Like I said before, this will only be believable if you feel comfortable enough with one of our alphas – there is no way you can fake your scent.”

“Yes, I looked at the files the whole weekend and have made up my mind.” Castiel hoped he sounded nonchalant as he added: “And I would still like to work with Mr Winchester, because I believe I know him better than most of the other detectives.” There, that explanation sounded reasonable enough.

Jody Mills looked at him intently for a full minute before she said: “All right, then…” She pushed a button on her phone. “Donna, could you send Dean up, please?”

Castiel noticed the familiarity of using only first names. He was not surprised – he knew Dean and the Captain were close friends. Not to mention that Dean’s father, John Winchester, had been in her place for a long time – before he had been shot many years ago. Afterwards, Bobby Singer had become Captain until Jody Mills took over after his retirement. Castiel had often overheard jokes in the hallway that Dean would be the next in line to assume the position of Captain – but the omega was not so sure. At least for now, Dean seemed too restless for an office-job. But on the other hand, Jody Mills did not look like she would be leaving anytime soon.

 When Dean stepped in, he looked confused first at Jody and then at Castiel, but there was also a shimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Sit down, Dean. It’s about what we discussed last Friday.” Ms Mills cleared her throat and Castiel’s eyes widened. Oh god, how could he have not thought about this. Here comes the moment the Captain explained to Dean how he made Castiel feel all safe and gooey… Castiel felt his ears heat up und met the gaze of Jody Mills; a small smile tucked at her lips.

“As you know, we are looking for an alpha/omega-couple to infiltrate in the _Little Heaven_ community. I suggested the idea to Mr Novak here and he agreed to take the job. I also explained to him that you already volunteered, and he is willing to take you as his partner.”

Both Castiel and Dean blinked at the Captain. Castiel then fixed his gaze on the floor, grateful that she had not exposed his eagerness to propose Dean as a partner – but her words also made him wonder if she did suspect why he wanted Dean and no one else.

After a short silence, Dean hesitantly spoke up: “I ahem… I am glad to do this. As you know. But do you really think Cas is our best option?” He held up his hands and looked at Castiel in an apologetic manner. “I don’t mean to be a dick here, but… this could be dangerous. We should at least pick someone who knows how to handle a gun. Again, no offense meant.”

“I know how to handle various fire-arms rather well, Dean, and I am trained in hand-to-hand-combat. I was a detective like you, until I moved to Greenville.” Now, that was straining it a bit since Castiel had been hardly off the training wheels – before he got fired. But the alpha did not need to know the details right now. The perplexed look on Dean’s face was too satisfying.

“Hey, I am sorry, buddy. I didn’t know. I just don’t want to put you at risk. But if that is the case…”

Dean still did not look too convinced. More like he was thinking about another excuse why Castiel was not fit for the job. The omega raised his chin and tried to ignore the hurt feeling in his stomach. It was not like he had expected Dean to be happy about the prospect of moving in with him, but since the alpha obviously had wanted in on the case, he had thought he would look a little more grateful – and less shocked. Castiel had been so concentrated on Dean’s expression, he almost missed that the Captain had started talking again.

“…so there should be no risk anyway. I don’t want you two to deliberately provoke an attack. Just settle in and see what you can find out. I have already called Garth Fitzgerald, who will help you to act as a believable couple. Charlie will fake all the documents you need. And then there is Rowena McLeod.” Jody grimaced. “She works with the Federal Investigators and will give you more insight about the deceased couples and how to mimic them. You are scheduled to work with her for the next two days.”

Castiel looked at Jody Mills with hardly concealed surprise.

“No, Mr Novak. I did not know how you were going to decide. But if you agreed, I wanted to put everything in motion right away. As I explained last week, we already have a house and the plan is to move you in by Thursday.”

“Thursday?” Castiel was glad Dean had asked the question – since all he could do was blink rapidly. He had known that the Captain was in a hurry, but that would leave them only three days. Three days until they had to pretend to be newly mated. “You mean like _this_ Thursday?”

“Yes, Dean, _this_ Thursday. Is there a problem with that?”

“No, ma’am,” Dean answered, sounding like there were at least a dozen problems.

When Jody Mills looked at him, Castiel could only shake his head no. He was not sure his voice would work.

Almost an hour later, Castiel had still not uttered a word and hardly managed to say goodbye, both men closed the door to the Captain’s office from the outside. Castiel was about to leave for his office to get a few things in order before they had to meet with the psychologist when Dean grabbed his arm.

“Hey, Cas, wait a moment. I am truly sorry. I did not mean to indicate you can’t look out for yourself. I just don’t want to put you in unnecessary danger. That’s not supposed to be your job.”

The look in Dean’s eyes was so sincere that Castiel could only nod, lump in his throat.

“And I am really glad you let me be your partner. I mean… I asked Jody on Friday if I could do it, but she meant I was probably… not the best choice. Ticked me off a bit, to be honest. But then I had thought she would ask Donna to…” He licked his lips nervously. “Well, anyway. I know this must be tough for you, but… I promise I will try to not act like a complete knothead.”

Something about this crude statement helped calm Castiel’s nerves; he even smiled.

 

>><< 

 

In the afternoon, Castiel and Dean found themselves in a small office with psychologist Garth Fitzgerald. At first, Castiel learned that the man obviously was not as deeply in love with Dean as he had assumed every time he had seen the two men together. The counsellor just seemed to really like the alpha – and was not shy to show his affection. He soon treated Castiel the same way.

When he announced the two of them would doubtlessly make a wonderful couple, both men looked at the floor and tried to ignore the awkwardness of their situation.

Dean and Castiel were seated on a small sofa that was overloaded with pillows so that they almost touched. To make them even more embarrassed, they were soon joined by Charlie, who seemed to sincerely feel for them, and Rowena MacLeod, who did not seem to feel too much in any situation.

Garth – as he insisted they all should call him – wanted to start the meeting with Dean and Castiel sharing their life stories with each other. On the one side, it was supposed to initiate a closeness between the couple, on the other hand, they planned to coin the cover story as close to their real lives as possible. Castiel had known he would have to open up in front of Dean sooner rather than later, that it would be necessary for their scheme. But he was so nervous he almost threw up – after all, he had hardly been able to form full sentences in Dean’s presence for nearly two years now. Castiel was not sure whether it was better or worse that they were not alone for this first talk. He hoped that the professional surroundings would keep him as unemotional as possible. Especially Rowena was very useful to not let the atmosphere become too cosy.  Castiel got a stomach ache just thinking about her lessons in proper omega behaviour the next day.

To Castiel’s relief, Dean started to narrate his life; it sounded almost rehearsed, like one would do at a job interview – and Castiel tried to look like most of the information was news to him. But he had already known Dean’s mother had died in a fire when Dean and Sam had been only kids. He had even known how Dean took care of his little brother most of the time while his father became work-obsessed. Those were not Dean’s words, however, his tone always respectful when he talked about his father. Then, many years later,  John Winchester was shot just after Dean had come back from the army and had started at the Police Department. A few years later, Sam had joined - and Dean’s voice turned livelier as he talked about his brother. The young omega had started to study law - because he was a genius, at least according to his brother - , but after his girlfriend had died, in another tragic fire, he had moved back to Greenville. Obviously, the police work was just meant as a temporary solution until he had figured out his future. But he stuck with it. Dean on the other hand had never thought about doing anything other than law enforcement. Even though he did love to work on old cars. At Garth’s direct question, he admitted he had only been in one long-term relationship to speak of – neither the military nor the police were the best premise for a happy bond. Castiel noticed how the alpha left out all the affairs he knew Dean had had over the years. But it was not like it was his business.

When it was Castiel’s turn to basically paraphrase his life, he was very aware of the four pairs of eyes on him. He was not too comfortable talking to one person about personal affairs, much less to a whole group. Nonetheless, he told about how he was raised in a children’s home and how he never met his parents. He even admitted he had wanted to become a police officer, though he left out how he had been motivated by all the different detective stories he had read as a child. He managed not to stutter as he mentioned the incident that had him fired in his old job. When he finally addressed that he now lived with Gabriel, his best friend and almost-brother, Rowena interrupted impatiently:

“But neither of that is important, is it?”

Castiel twitched, and Dean rubbed a hand over his arm. The omega was surprised and looked up, but Dean did not seem to be aware of his own actions as he glared at Rowena.

“I thought we were here to agree on your cover story, so Charlie can set up false papers while I teach them to act like one of the deceased couples tomorrow. In the meantime, Mr. Fitzgerald might try to make them look like a couple.” She clapped in her hands and looked at Castiel. “Now, I understand I needed to listen to Dean’s sob story, but yours does not really matter, does it? Not for the case at least. So you better forget about that nonsense of jobs, alpha friends or past relationships. Starting next Thursday, you have neither of those things.”

Castiel just stared at her, not offended, just overwhelmed with her sudden zest for action and unfiltered directness. But Dean’s grip on his arm had tightened for a second.

“Now we simply need to agree on a cover story.” She pouted her lips in thought. “I know! You…” she pointed at Dean… “have picked Castiel years ago, as soon as he was old enough to be thrown out of his children’s home. But then you were still in the military, as a lynx like you said, just for a longer time, and you did not want to mate before you retired from the army. So Castiel waited here and took care of your house, your old house that is, while you were abroad. Now, we already agreed we wanted to give you a consulting position in some security company which goes well enough with the military experience. And you needed to move to Kensington for the new job. A good job of course, lots of money – all the alphas were rather successful. And you claimed Castiel only weeks ago. There. I don’t know why Jody insisted I needed to be here the whole afternoon. No use in making it all complicated.” She stood up and looked sternly at Dean and Castiel. It was strange how such a tiny person could tower over them like that. “I’ll see you tomorrow at ten. Don’t be late.”

A second later, she was gone.

“I… ahem… should get going, too.” Charlie still stared perplexed at the closed door. “And I hope this will be the first and _only_ time I have to work with _her_.” She packed her laptop, but looked at every of the three men successively: “Unless… can we go with this story? I thought I would have you both be born in Arlington, like Castiel. So at least one of you will know enough about the place. In case it comes up in a conversation.”

Dean and Castiel nodded. Then Charlie hugged them both and announced in a hyperbolic cheerfulness: “Don’t look so glum. I am sure you will do fine. And who knows – this might even be fun! Like six weeks of paid vacation.”

Castiel did not say anything to that – whatever he expected the next weeks to be, _fun_ did not even make the list. Maybe Dean thought so as well; in any case, the alpha did not answer either.

When they were alone with Garth, Castiel expected to have to try some strange games in order to _build a connection_ with Dean. He had heard about looking deeply into each other’s eyes and answering personal questions. His stomach turned just at the thought. But Castiel was to be surprised when Garth stood only seconds after Charlie had closed the door:

“I need to take care of a few things as well. Please, wait here for me. I will be back in a while… I mean, shortly!” He was halfway to the exit, when he hurried back, took a box of cookies out of a drawer and put them on the small table in front of the couch. “Here, have some chocolate. Always helps me. Beth made them herself, they are _yum-my_.”

With that, Garth left the room.

“Is it just me or was that weird?” Dean reached for a cookie and looked at it for a moment like he considered it might be poisoned.

“Don’t ask me, I feel like I haven’t woken up since last Friday.”

Dean bit into the cookie with a loud crunch and moaned slightly before he answered: “I forgot this is not what you usually do. Not even close.” There was a short pause, and Castiel rubbed his hands against each other, trying to find a topic. But Dean beat him to the punch, as usual: “I ah… I am sorry about your parents, Cas. But maybe… you know, maybe they had their reasons. Other than being SOBs.”

“My whole childhood I have hoped that my mum had had good reasons to give me up. Like offering me a better life or something like that.” Castiel sighed. “Me and every other child at _Mr. Shurley’s Home of Angels_. But I guess it is more plausible that my parents just did not want an omega for a child.”

The secondary gender of a person manifested during puberty – before that, you could not distinguish any alpha from a beta or omega, not by scent, not by behaviour. There were indicators, sure, but no one could know for certain what a child would turn out to be until they were between fourteen and eighteen years old. Or you could find out right after birth. When a baby had just been born, one could test the cord blood to find out how the child would present. This test had been developed about fifty years ago and had resulted in a flood of abandoned omega children. By now, this technique was strictly forbidden, to protect the children and avoid influencing their development from an early age, and the – now much fewer – children’s homes were diversified again. But Castiel had been born just a few years before this legislation took effect, and in the home he grew up in nearly every child turned out to be an omega. There were a few exceptions – like Gabriel – and most children had hoped they would be one of them.

But a lot had happened concerning omega rights in the last decades. They were not prohibited to any workplace anymore, they had the right to vote and could even join the army or become doctors and politicians, and neither were they dependent on their mates any more.

“I guess it must be hard to grow up in a home like that. I mean, my childhood was not all sunshine and roses, but at least I knew who my parents were. I knew they cared for their sons. And some of those facilities…” Dean stopped himself, obviously realising he might have unsettled Castiel.

“It wasn’t that bad. I did not grow up in a place like Rowena insinuated.” Some of the omega centres had learned to make money off their misfortunate _guests_ – they raised the children in a way that was fifty years behind the times, and as soon as they came of age, they practically sold them to a conservative alpha for a generous donation. Castiel was glad that those sorts of homes were dying out by the minute. “It was a good home. There were only about thirty children, of all ages, and we were well educated. The headmaster, Mr Shurely – or Chuck as we all called him – was nice and caring. We are still in contact and I send him a Christmas card every year. Honestly, I believe it was better than growing up with parents who would have been disappointed after finding out I was an omega.”

They talked for nearly two hours without intervention. Castiel hardly noticed how much time passed, he was so engrossed in the conversation. He told Dean more about his childhood and also about Gabriel – and how he had moved in with him after he came to Greenville. He shared a few stories that underlined how infuriating the alpha could be and how he considered him a brother, the closest thing to family he had. But he also told Dean about one of the downsides of his upbringing: they had only been allowed to watch TV for half an hour per week and could choose from no more than two channels. So, Castiel simply did not know a lot of movies of TV shows. As soon as Gabriel had been old enough to live on his own, the alpha had devoured anything he could find. But even after he had started living on his own, Castiel mostly stuck to his books. The omega was secretely relieved he had found a way to explain to the alpha why he did not understant too many pop-culture-references. In turn, Dean told Castiel more about his own childhood, and how he had been practically raised by the TV. Though he never said one bad word about his father, Castiel got the impression that he had not taken care of his sons as well as he should have. From what he could read between the lines, Dean had taken too much responsibility way too soon. But then there was a sad smile in Dean’s eyes whenever he talked about John Winchester, so Castiel was sure the man must have done something right – as his sons obviously loved him despite his mistakes.

After a long while, the omega stopped for a moment in his narration, realising how many non-stupid sentences he had said to Dean today. Talking to the alpha turned out to be quite easy once he had opened up.

It felt almost like a date. Like a really good date. But instead of dinner, they had only chocolate cookies.

“Wait a minute. Where is Garth? Didn’t he want to come back right away?”

Dean’s sudden question made Castiel look around like Garth would somehow simply materialise in the middle of the room. Which was not too far away from what happened next. As if he had been listening from the other side of the door, the handle was pushed down and in stepped the psychologist.

“I am so sorry, I was held up longer than planned.”

Garth looked at the two sitting men, then at the empty box on the table, and smiled. That moment, Castiel noticed they were sitting even closer to each other than they had before – their shoulders touched as well as their thighs. Suddenly, Castiel’s whole body felt too warm. He was also quite sure Garth had left them alone for so long on purpose.

“Now, this had been a long day for you both and I will let you go in just a minute. Jody asked me to bring up one more thing though. Scent.”

He made a dramatic pause and seemed disappointed that both Dean and Castiel only waited patiently for him to go on.

“You already know Dean needs to leave a bitemark on you regularly, Castiel, but you also have to smell like the alpha. So, I suggest you sleep together.” He turned red. “I mean, in bed. You sleep in the same bed. This will also help to form a sense of proximity, not just physical, and should make it easier to keep up the mated act.”

Unsurprisingly, that night, Castiel could hardly close his eyes as he remembered that Dean Winchester would soon lie beside him.

 

>><< 

 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Rowena taught them how they should behave in their new roles. She knew everything there was to know about the lifestyles of the deceased couples as well as the community of _Little Heaven_ , and even if Castiel did not like her – not at all – he had to admit she was good at her job. She helped him with body language and set some ground rules. He should never talk to anyone in Dean’s company without having been directly addressed first, he was the one who would care for guests, he should always stay a step behind his mate – not too noticeable, but there should be a subtle display of the alpha’s superiority. If he met with other omegas, Castiel could gossip a bit and insist on a few opinions, but never talk bad about his mate. He should not make direct eye-contact to anyone other than another omega. He should address Dean as _alpha_ – though in a small group, it would be all right to call him by his first name. And whenever his mate asked him to do something, he should hurry to comply.

“But don’t overdo it. You are not a slave or something like that. Just a very, very attentive mate.”

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Castiel’s head hurt. He thought his brain would explode – there was so much contradictory information fighting in his head. He knew it had all made sense at some point, but by now it was just _be submissive, but also confident_ or _you need to smile more – no, never at another alpha!_

“And don’t sulk! Alphas do not like mates who are whiney or fake migraines. If you are unhappy, swallow it down and make some pie.”

Dean, who had sat on an armchair and frowned at Rowena for the last hour with a distinctly irritated look, suddenly let out a low growl.

“Yes! Good. Keep that up, Alpha. It works well with your role. Lucky for you both, the other alphas were all some degree of possessive bastards.”

“And that is lucky how?” Castiel grumbled out.

“Because that means your partner here can interfere if someone else tries to touch or merely insult you. Your alpha would not have you punished by anyone else, even if you do something he might dislike. This means you are safe from anyone else – and since Dean is unlikely to punish you behind closed doors, your role will hardly ask more of you than serving tea and looking adoringly at your mate.” Dean had let out another unhappy rumble, but he was distracted when the door opened and Jody Mills stepped in. Rowena on the other hand did not even stop to take a breath as she addressed Dean now: “You just need to act a little bit stern around Castiel, maybe show a little splash of jealousy if someone looks at him too long. And you need to reprimand Castiel when he focuses his attention on someone else. Let your Alpha Voice drip in a little every now and then, like we practised. This sounds like something you can do?”

“This sounds like I have to act like an asshole.”

He could not have explained his own reaction to that comment, but Castiel chuckled. And when Rowena looked at him with an exasperated expression, the sound turned into a real giggle. Castiel had been able to swallow down his fear for three days now – he guessed his nerves had found a different way to come out. Dean suddenly stood next to him and laid a strong hand on the omega’s shoulder. Castiel had to resist the temptation to lean forwards and let his head rest against the other man’s chest. They looked into each other’s eyes and the hysterical giggle suddenly died in Castiel’s throat.

“All right, I think this is enough,” the Captain announced and both Dean and Castiel twitched, surprised by the sudden noise. “You both need to get up early tomorrow and could do with a relaxing night and a good long sleep, I would assume.” She cleared her throat. “Dean, did you give Castiel a shirt and a blanket, so he can sleep with those already?”

Dean only nodded, then he squeezed his hand over Castiel’s shoulder before he said: “Then I guess I will see you tomorrow morning, Cas.”

“Not so fast, Dean. There is something else you need to do first.” Jody tipped her head to her side and Castiel nearly fainted. The last couple of days he had tried not to think about this. Mostly because any time he did, he smelled slick in the air.

At least with Rowena and his Captain in the room, it would be as awkward as he had hoped for.

Normally, it was considered highly sensuous when an alpha marked their omega, but in an office, in bright daylight – it felt only weird.

Dean looked hesitant for a moment: “You wanna do this here or…?”

“No, here is fine.” Castiel really did not need to be alone with Dean for this. At least not for the first time.

Castiel bared his neck and clenched his fists. He could feel Dean’s breath on his throat, then a chuckle: “Relax, Cas. I am not going to eat you.”

A moment later, Castiel felt soft lips on his neck, then a quick sting. The pain was gone before his brain even fully registered it, and he felt Dean’s tongue lapping on the wound, healing it so it would no longer bleed. Alpha saliva could be a magical thing.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had been afraid that he would not be able to sleep for even five minutes that night, but after he had changed into Dean’s shirt – and made an effort to ignore how weird that was – the omega was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Tomorrow, he would move into a new house with Dean Winchester as his mate.

His hand touched the bitemark and he smiled in his sleep.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

 

Thursday morning had Castiel and Dean sitting in a shiny new BMW X5, driving down to Kensington. Their house was already set – the furniture had been included when the Department bought it and two days ago, they had a professional remover bringing all the necessities it needed to look like a home. Castiel had no idea what to expect – it wasn’t like Captain Mills had asked him about his taste. So, with most things already taken care of, Castiel and Dean only had a few bags and suitcases full of clothes and personal items in the trunk.

They hardly talked throughout the three-hour drive. Dean had tried to make light conversation in the beginning, but Castiel had only given one-syllable answers until the alpha gave up and only glanced at him every ten minutes or so, worry in his eyes. Castiel felt guilty about his silence, but he simply could not bring himself to make small-talk. He was just too edgy; sitting still was already a challenge. He hoped his nerves would calm down once he had the opportunity to inspect his new house – at the moment, the unknown seemed worse than anything else. Maybe, after they had settled in their temporary home, he could relax. Then he thought about sleeping in the same bed as Dean – so he might have overestimated how easily he would be able to calm down…

Suddenly, Dean pushed the breaks a little too hard on a red light and both men slightly fell forward, caught by their seat-belts.

“That stupid car!” Dean yelled out, in a more frustrated tone than the situation should have called for.

Castiel knew that Dean would have preferred to bring his beloved Impala but had been forbidden, numerous times, by Jody Mills personally. But either way, Castiel assumed the alpha’s sudden outburst had more to do with Dean’s own struggle of nerves than the car itself. It was a nice car after all. Castiel liked it – no matter what his partner thought.

A few minutes later, they passed by the sign of _Little Heaven_. They had just left the city of Kensington behind and, so far, Castiel did not feel like they had moved through the gates to another world. But nonetheless, his stomach dropped as Dean eventually parked the car in front of a small single house amidst a neighbourhood where every building seemed completely exchangeable. A bright, blinding white was the overpowering tone of colour – the houses, the fences and even the streets looked like they were scrubbed clean only moments before. Half of the houses had blinds in a dark blue and around every single one was what looked like the same small garden with the same arrangement of well-ordered roses, hyacinths and hydrangeas, surrounded by the same white fence. At least, the garden in front of Castiel had an apple tree in the middle of the short-cut lawn, like a sign of rebellion.

Still in the car, Castiel stared at the house like it was about to turn into a vicious monster and devour him. Dean noticed his look.

“What, you don’t like your new home?”

Castiel tried to answer the question in a way that did not include how nervous he felt about the time they would have to spend together and concentrated more on the house itself.

“It looks like all the others. There is no personal touch. On none of the houses in the whole street. Like you are unacceptable if you do anything slightly different.” Castiel did not notice how timid his voice sounded at the end.

“Yeah, it all looks pretty Stepford.” Castiel did not even try to understand this statement and just kept frowning until he could smell the worry coming off Dean. “Hey, Cas. Remember. We can stop this anytime. We’ll just be a weird couple who did not fit in and moved somewhere else. Jody said that happens quite a lot.” Dean tried to smile, but there were no wrinkles around his eyes. Castiel loved those wrinkles.

“Or we say we are just reporters trying to write a good story,” Castiel added in the hopes to turn Dean’s smile into a real one; and he succeeded.

“No, _that_ we are only to tell if we get busted as not-actually-mated. Or when someone notices you sneaking around.”

“Me?”

“Of course _you_. I am a seasoned professional, _I_ won’t get caught. But you are just a green… Ow!”

Castiel had punched Dean’s arm – not hard, so the alpha’s reaction was totally exaggerated. But there was a look on his face that told Castiel Dean had achieved his goal: Deflecting Castiel from the big bad monster-house.

Suddenly, Dean leaned forwards and stroked a hand over Castiel’s neck. Castiel closed his eyes for a second, grateful for the supporting gesture. Then he realised Dean had probably only done it to leave his scent. In case someone would come to meet them right away. Not that it would have been necessary – after they had spent hours in the same car, not to mention the omega had slept in Dean’s clothes, Castiel should smell like him enough to fool anyone.

Castiel looked back up at Dean, trying to compose his face – and the alpha looked like he was doing the same thing, his nostrils flaring noticeably.

“Terminating your suppressors worked pretty fast. You smell a lot stronger of _omega_ than you did back on Monday.”

“I already stopped taking them on Friday. Just in case. Captain Mills said she wanted us to move as soon as possible if I agreed,” Castiel explained – hoping his words would dissolve the sudden tension in the car.

Dean cleared his throat, then said a bit too cheerily: “Well, let’s check out our new home then.”

After another deep breath, Dean opened the door and got a piece of luggage out of the trunk. Castiel did the same and followed the alpha inside the house.

He did not like the interior.

It was bare, sterile, and the bright white tones made him think of a hospital. All in all, it looked blank – and not like it was uninhabitated, but like the blankness was intended. Some kind of modern chic. The only colour was found on some pictures and vases that looked expensive and seemed to have the only purpose of impressing guests. The books on the shelves appeared to be too new and were all some sort of bestsellers or renowned classics, intended to show off the great intellect of the house-owners.  The only personal items were a few pictures – all of Dean’s alleged friends and family, only one photo of Dean and Castiel. It was funny how all the people on the photos were actually detectives _and_ friends or family of Dean. Some of them already planned to visit in the future – a nice, newly mated couple without friends checking out their new home would just look suspicious.

Castiel quickly looked around the living room as well as the modern open-space kitchen with the too wide dinner table and scrunched his nose. It was all glass and shiny metal, no wood or other warm and grounding material. Even the leather couch looked like it would stay cold no matter how long you sat on it. If Castiel had stepped into that home in any other context, he would have disliked the owners right away. So he guessed his colleagues had done a good job – for he was sure he could never like anyone who lived in a community like Little Heaven.

After a deep breath, Castiel followed Dean upstairs with his bag in hands. At first, he looked into the bathroom and the small chamber for guests, dragging out the moment when he would see where he had to sleep from now on.

He was almost relieved when he finally joined Dean.

The bedroom was easily the cosiest room in the house. There was even a small balcony outside that somehow reminded Castiel of a hotel-room. With the warm tones of the yellow-orange-and-brown bedsheets and a beautiful landscape painting, the room also appeared to be the most colourful in the house.

And then there was the bed. A more enormous bed Castiel had never seen. It looked like four people could fit in there comfortably. At least, he and Dean did not have to squeeze together. Castiel determinedly swallowed down the lump of disappointment. They were here to do a job. Not to cuddle in bed.

“Wow. Now that is a big, _big_ bed.”

Dean rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, and Castiel thought he looked a bit embarrassed. Good. It calmed his uprising hysteria down to know he was not the only one who thought this was all horrendously awkward.

Dean shook his head slightly, like he wanted to get rid of a certain thought, and then hurried back down the stairs to pick up another bag from the car. Castiel needed another three deep breaths – afterwards, he did not feel any calmer but more like he was about to faint – before he followed his alpha outside.

He was surprised to see Dean talking to another man already, an alpha, distinctly older than the two of them. Castiel approached hesitantly, waiting for Dean to take the initiative.

“Ah, Mr Knight, this is my mate, Castiel.”

“Please, call me Cain.” Mr Knight said to Dean and then turned to the omega. “Castiel – that is an unusual name. Very beautiful.”

Castiel did not meet the other man’s gaze and replied politely: “Thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Knight.”

Castiel immediately noticed how _he_ was not offered to use the alpha’s first name. Under half-closed eyes, Castiel studied the man, but immediately dismissed him as a probable suspect. He assumed he was simply too old. Even though most of the alphas had been drugged, keeping two men under control was not an easy feat. And neither was the cleaning up afterwards – the murder scenes had all been spotless; no scent, no DNA.

Castiel wondered if his mind would jump to murder-probability with every person he met from now on.

“You have purchased a real pearl with this house, let me tell you,” Cain Knight said amiably, every bit the nice new neighbour.

They chatted for a while longer. As it turned out, Cain Knight lived right to their left. He had been a lynx in the military, like Dean, and the older man seemed to genuinely like their new neighbours instantly. He even invited them both to dinner on next Monday. After polite hesitation, Dean agreed and Castiel just smiled pleasantly – at least he hoped it looked that way.

“We can compare some stories I am sure. Of course, not for the whole night. Wouldn’t want to bore your lovely mate – or give him nightmares.” He smiled at Castiel and the omega assumed he actually meant to be nice. Despite how much he resented the insinuation that just because of his gender his stomach was too weak to hear about military operations. He was tempted to tell Cain Knight he had looked at the photographs of murdered alphas just this morning. Instead, Castiel kept smiling.

“I am sure your mate and I can keep ourselves entertained while the two of you talk to each other, Mr. Knight,” Castiel tried for a sweet tone, just as Rowena had taught him. It never truly worked out with his gravelly voice, but he tried his best.

“I am afraid I will be the only entertainment I can offer. I am a widower, Castiel. My mate passed away nearly a decade ago.”

“Oh, I am so sorry…” Castiel could have punched himself – he had already said the wrong thing. And they had only just arrived. But Cain Knight did not even frown at him, instead, he tried to appease Castiel.

“Don’t worry. You could not have known. My Colette passed away a long time ago and we had been blessed with many happy years before she got sick. It is more than most people can say. I have a housekeeper and my bees to keep me company. And now some nice neighbours on top.” He rubbed his beard and added in a low tone: “At least you are not as strange as the other ones.”

“Other ones?” Dean asked, interest sparking in his eyes.

“Yeah, your other next-door neighbours. They only moved in a couple of months ago. Fergus Crowley and his mate, Meg. There is something off with them. He is seldom at home, sometimes out for the whole week, and he even takes his mate with him from time to time. And… But I am sorry, you are just moving in. Not the right time to gossip about the neighbours.”

He looked believably uncomfortable and soon said his goodbyes to let the new mates settle in properly.

Back inside the house, Dean announced in a surprised tone: “Wow, he did not seem half bad. Maybe they are not all dicks around here.”

Castiel had to agree – Cain had seemed nice enough, and some part of the old-fashioned way he treated Castiel with might just be a sign of his age. Castiel especially noticed how he still seemed to mourn the death of his mate. There had been a sincere sadness in his eyes when he talked about her.

Which was not at all what one could say about their next visitor.

 

>><< 

 

The couple had just unpacked the most important items and helped themselves to some sandwiches when the bell rang. Dean answered the door – just as Rowena had explained: the alpha always opens the door, Castiel will only talk through the speaker and, when alone at home, would only let other omegas in and no one else. Befriending an omega and spending time with them was advisable, but never even talk to another alpha in person without your mate present.

“Hello, neighbours. I just wanted to welcome you to Little Heaven. My name is Lucifer Cage. I know, it is a mouthful. Just call me Luc.”

So, for the second time that day, Dean and Castiel found themselves in a conversation with one of the inhabitants of Little Heaven. But just as Cain had tuned out to be a lot more agreeable than they had expected, Lucifer seemed to be worse.

He practically dared Dean to invite him in – “unless you don’t want another alpha in your house or near your omega” – and then he emphasised how long he had been living here (though it was not as long as Cain, obviously). Castiel was not an expert on alphas and dominance challenges (especially without actual fighting), but he had the strong feeling that Mr Cage here was trying to present himself as the top dog of the community. And Dean was trying to not give in an inch, but still be as polite as possible. There was some really strained small-talk going on, mostly fixated on both men’s jobs – Lucifer was the CEO (he used that term at least three times during their conversation) of a big pharmaceutical company that marketed analgesics. Castiel hardly said anything, and he did not even have to pretend being taunt – the two alphas were enough to make him uneasy. He was a lot more nervous than he had been in their conversation with Cain and tried to find the right submissive posture – while Rowena was snapping at him in his head: “stand upright, but make yourself look as small as possible”, “never look an alpha in the eyes”; “no, don’t look at the floor _all_ the time”, “look at their face for a moment then back to your hands” “if you meet their eyes accidentally, gaze back to the floor right away” and “never forget your mate”.

While Castiel was concentrating to look exactly like a demure omega should – luckily, Lucifer did not expect him to say anything – Dean asked their visitor if he was mated as well.

“Oh, yes, I had a mate. Poor thing died recently in childbed, took the little boy with her. Now I’ll just have to look for a new one. But you know, with work, I just did not have the time yet.”

Lucifer shrugged, like the death of his mate and baby was nothing more than an inconvenience, and then he looked straight at Castiel. For a quarter of a second, the omega met the other man’s gaze and he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

 “We can’t all be as lucky as you are with Castiel here, Dean.” Lucifer smiled in a way that had Castiel’s stomach turn.

Dean balled his hands into fists, and Castiel subtly moved towards his alpha and stroked over his arm. They had practiced this with Rowena multiple times – it was Castiel’s job to keep his mate calm.

Dean relaxed, and Castiel wished he could say how much of that attitude was an act – then the alpha said lowly: “Thank you for visiting us, Luc, but you’ll have to excuse us now. We just moved in and we still have a lot to do. So…”

“Not to mention you have just mated and I am sure you want to enjoy each other’s… _company_.”

Lucifer smiled smugly at Dean, but this time he was only met with a direct stare. Castiel nearly stopped breathing. Working in a building with a high number of alphas, he was used to witness staring contests – they could be triggered simply by two alphas sharing the small space of an elevator or reaching for the coffee pot at the same time. But usually, at least at the precinct, they were subtler, and less hostile. One would quickly avert their gaze, but without losing face. It was just something most alphas did, probably often without realising how tense everyone around them could get. Because even if Castiel had never heard about anything like that happen in his workplace, there was still always the possibility of violence in the air. Especially around a Full Moon.

After a few seconds, Lucifer dropped his gaze and walked to the door. Dean relaxed instantly, a cocky smile tugging at his lips – but Castiel was not so sure. Maybe they had just unreasonably provoked their new neighbour.

When their unfriendly visitor was out of the door, Dean frowned at Castiel:

“I don’t like him. I am sure he has some skeletons in the closet, and I mean literal skeletons.”

Castiel did not say anything, but he silently admitted that, at the very least, Luc Cage made his hackles raise.

 

>><< 

 

The rest of the day, Castiel had spent unpacking and checking out the house and garden. They sometimes engaged in light conversation, but it mostly was about what they should do next, trying to find the right level of getting to know the neighbourhood quickly but without looking suspicious. They had already met two alphas and decided this would have to do for the first day. It was not like they needed to rush – as they would probably be here for weeks, if not months.

At night, Castiel cooked them a light meal while Dean set the table. Castiel had tried to argue that they should stay in their roles the whole time – Rowena had insisted that only the omega should do the domestic work. But Dean only shrugged and got the plates from the cabinet. Castiel had almost objected again, but to be honest, he was relieved that Dean did not seem to intend to just sit back and be served by Castiel even behind closed doors.

After dinner, they watched the news together and then, things got a bit awkward again. The whole day, Castiel had tried to ignore the fact he had to share a bed with Dean. Now, after the alpha turned off the TV, there was a long moment where neither man moved or said anything. In the end, it was Castiel who stood up and announced he would take a quick shower and then go to bed. He went into the bedroom, packing his pyjamas and then stood on the balcony, looking at the waxing crescent of the moon. Somehow, the sight calmed him – or maybe it was just the fresh air. He closed the doors and shut the blinds, then walked through the hall and took a long, cool shower. When he came back from the bathroom, Dean already stood beside the ridiculously large bed, frowning. He was only wearing sweats and a T-shirt; and smelled like he had already cleaned up, probably in the bathroom downstairs.

“I… ahem… I didn’t know which side you preferred.”

“Usually, the omega sleeps on the right side, I think,” Castiel answered.

“Right. Yeah. Okay,” Dean said and then turned the blanket back and lied down on the left. Hesitantly, Castiel walked around the bed and did the same. Both men were positioned on their backs with enough room between them that they could have invited a third person. Involuntarily, Castiel thought about Rowena, lying between them and talking about omega and alpha behaviour. He supressed a nervous laugh, imagining that it would just add to the awkwardness if he started giggling out loud.

“You… ah… you want to read or something?” Dean asked and not for the first time was Castiel glad that the alpha seemed to be as challenged with their situation as he himself. Especially because Dean did not seem to be easily flustered, or embarrassed.

“No, I think I will just go to sleep. It has been an… interesting day.”

“All right then… I will just turn off the lights.”

After a short nod from Castiel, Dean did just that.

 

>><< 

 

When Castiel woke up, he heard water running in the bathroom. He was glad that Dean was already out of bed. Sleep had not found Castiel easily last night. And though he could not be sure, he rather thought the same accounted for Dean.

Castiel’s mind had been nagging at him for at least three hours – there was the tension of the job they had to do plus his feelings for Dean. Sometimes he had been scared he would make a mistake and they would have to terminate their mission before they had been able to find anything, the next minute he had to fight with his unwillingness to act like a submissive omega, and then there was also the fear that Dean would see him drooling while he was asleep. For some reason, at least last night, the latter had seemed to be the most horrible scenario in his head.

But surprisingly, after he had finally fallen asleep, it was a deep and peaceful slumber. Even though Castiel had not slept as many hours as he would have liked, he had not woken up in the middle of the night like he usually did and felt well rested. He took a deep breath and instantly thought his deep slumber might have been a result of Dean’s scent – it was just so calming and made him feel safe. With the size of the bed, Castiel had feared he might not smell of Dean anymore, but due to the small room and with only one (also ridiculously big) blanket, Castiel’s omega skin had adopted the alpha’s scent easily enough.

Determinedly, Castiel got up and opened the door to the balcony to get in as much air as possible. He was still dressed in his blue and grey checked pyjamas as he hurried down the stairs to put on some coffee and prepare breakfast. Just as he had been about done, Dean came to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Cas. Sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you. And you?”

“Like a baby,” there was a strained line around Dean’s lips that had Castiel doubt his words, despite the wide smile. Like the day before, Dean was dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt – unfortunately, that was Castiel’s favourite look on the man. Mostly because it seemed so much more _Dean_ than the suits he usually wore at work. Rowena had tried to get the alpha to choose from some expensive outfits she had imagined his persona would wear during time off from work, but Dean had looked almost horrified at her proposals and insisted that the whole thing would be useless if he felt like a total moron 24/7. There had been a full-on argument about to happen when Charlie stepped in and convinced Rowena that if she pushed Dean any more, in the end, he would insist on wearing his usual plaid-flannel-style completed with practical boots. So the agent should be glad he was settling for expensive sneakers and pricey jeans. And Rowena had agreed that it might do for an alpha in his thirties.

Needless to say, no matter how casual Dean’s clothes were, Castiel suddenly felt underdressed in his Pjs. The two men looked at each other for a long moment until Dean tapped his fingers on the kitchen table.

“I am sorry I blocked the bathroom. You can get ready now. If you want.” Dean looked at some point above Castiel’s head, and a second later, the omega paled. He instantly ran his fingers through his hair, trying to get them under control, or at least to have them not stick out in all directions anymore.

This time, Dean’s smile seemed real and there was honest amusement glinting in the alpha’s eyes. But Castiel did not give him a moment to comment further as he rushed upstairs to get changed.

When he came back down, Dean was in the living room on his phone, talking lowly so Castiel could not understand the words. When Dean saw him, he hurriedly said his goodbyes and hung up.

“That was Sammy,” Dean said and from the tone, Castiel could not deter whether it had been a private conversation or about work. Unlike him, Dean had both his two best friends _and_ his brother involved in the operation – and by that, he had someone he could share his personal difficulties with as well as the professional ones. Dean cleared his throat, then added: “I just told him everything is fine and well, and we already met a suspect.”

Castiel raised his eyebrows. “A suspect?”

“There is something wrong with that Lucifer-guy and you know it.”

Castiel did not argue. Even if he thought there was a big difference between _something wrong_ with someone and being a criminal. Not every person he disliked was automatically a murderer. And he was quite sure Dean knew that just as much as him – especially considering his line of work.

They ate breakfast together – Castiel was surprised when Dean cleaned up afterwards – and then went out to take a stroll around the neighbourhood. That was something a normal couple would do just as much as undercover detectives, right?

Like the day before, their next-door-neighbours on the right did not seem to be home, at least the blinds were all shut down. While Castiel and Dean were out, they did not come across anything suspicious – just more pretty houses with pretty gardens, differing only in size. They found a bakery as well as a corner shop and the small church. Castiel walked half a step behind Dean – it was not too noticeable, and they were still able to exchange a few words without Dean having to talk over his shoulder. It was Friday morning, so most alphas were probably at work while their mates were cleaning the house or buying groceries. They had seen a few omegas with bags who quickly changed the side of the streets when they saw Dean. As they returned home, they saw an omega working in her flowerbed, but she seemed to be determined not to notice the passing couple. Castiel frowned a little bit – he knew every omega in this community was trying to not even look at Dean, because they were not allowed to talk to alphas without their mates present.

Castiel lived in a big apartment building, where neighbours hardly ever saw each other anyway, and some folks he had never even met once. But still, he would greet everyone politely or even engage in some small talk about the weather. He might not be too happy if he had to take the elevator with only a strange alpha, but he was not scared either, nor was he afraid to look at them. But then, where Castiel lived, a newly mated couple would likely walk right next to each other, holding hands. Not that he wanted to hold hands with Dean. Well, not in a professional pretend-relationship kind of way.

It was only when they returned to their house that they met someone who was willing to talk to them. A man was just walking away from their house, probably after he had knocked, and no one had opened.

His eyes lit up as he saw Dean and Castiel approach – in the sunlight, they glinted almost yellow. The man was wearing a work coat with various stains on it and a pair of out-washed trousers. There was something off with the man’s appearance and from Dean’s frown, Castiel assumed the alpha thought the same. He could see how Dean’s gaze rested for a moment on the man’s shoes. And then Castiel noticed it as well: The clean, polished leather shoes did not match the rest of the outfit. Nor did the strong scent of alpha.

The man smiled pleasantly as Dean stepped up to him, Castiel waiting a few feet behind.

“Mr. Smith, I assume?”

“And you are…?” Dean did not sound hostile – but he was not too friendly either. Having a stranger sniffing around your door will do that to almost any alpha.

“My name is Azazel Amber. I just wanted to introduce myself as I do with every new member of the neighbourhood. I work with the maintenance company in this community, so… I am basically your caretaker.” He fished a card out of his pocket and handed it to Dean. “If anything is amiss around the house, just give me a call and I will look right into it.”

Dean looked at the card and frowned. “Amber’s Maintenance? You are the owner?”

“Yes, I started the business two decades ago. And it grew pretty fast – I have subsidiaries in seven states by now. We only work in _conservative_ communities however. And as you can see, I still like to get my hands dirty. So I will be happy to help you with any problem that might occur.” He sent an amiable smile Dean’s way, but the other alpha did not return it. Castiel assumed Dean was as rattled as he was with the man – that an alpha would walk around as a janitor for all intents and purposes, there was just something off with that picture. And while the friendliness was well within the lines of the service industry, it was just a bit too suppliant for the owner of a company.

A moment and an overly cordial goodbye later, the man was gone – he just walked down the road, no car in sight. Castiel followed Dean inside the house with a frown on his face.

The alpha mumbled: “Let’s just hope we won’t have any problems we can’t manage ourselves.”

“I definitely will not call _him_ , even if water is going to flood the whole house and I am attacked by mutated fish.”

“Well, of course not, because, as a good omega, you will call _me_ first. And _I’_ ll save you from the fish.”

Dean grinned, and just like that, Castiel forgot about the creepy janitor.

But still, he could not let it slide that he would need an alpha to save him, so he grumbled out: “Or I will just get my gun and shoot them myself.”

Dean laughed. “Yeah, you do that, Cas.”

Castiel had to turn around so Dean would not see how his dancing butterflies forced a smile to his face. He liked the idea that Dean apparently thought he could handle some imaginary mutated fish on his own.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always play a little bit with the characters’ ages in my fanfictions – but I feel like I have to say this on Tim Omundson’s behalf: Cain is quite a bit older than he looks in the show, about in his early seventies. ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

 

On Sunday, Dean and Castiel attended church together. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the old-fashioned kind that had different sitting areas for alphas, betas and omegas. Since they had met their neighbour Cain Knight on the way, the old man was kind enough to show Castiel to his row in a subtle way and then took Dean with him to the right side at the front of the church. The undercover couple was glad for the assistance that saved them any possible embarrassment. Even though there had been a female omega waiting by the door who looked almost disappointed when Cain helped Castiel finding his place.

As he sat down and folded his hands piously, Castiel huffed out a displeased sigh at the strict allocation in this chapel. You could easily see every gender’s worth just from where they were seated. At the very front sat the male alphas – while the few male omegas formed the end.

But at least Castiel’s place gave him a good view of all the present residents of his new, and temporary, community. Unsurprisingly, most couples seemed to consist of male alphas with their female omega mates, which was still seen as the most desirable of unions. Castiel saw several betas – but most of them were still young and he assumed they were the children of some alpha/omega couples. There were also a few unpresented kids in the omega compartment a few rows in front of him. And Castiel involuntarily felt bad for those who would never get an _upgrade_ and had to be seated with the omegas for the rest of their lives while their siblings would be promoted someday. He was an avid church-goer himself – unlike Dean, as far as he knew – but luckily, Castiel’s denomination had evolved with time, and everyone could choose their own seats. The children usually sat in the front rows where they could see best while couples would stay next to each other. But here, they separated as soon as they walked through the door.

Most people were seated already, and it was almost funny how much space was between each alpha. Castiel was watching Dean for a moment, who sat relatively close to Cain, and both men seemed to talk with each other in low tones, but the omega was not sure.

As far as he could see, there were only two female alphas residing in Little Heaven, who looked like complete opposites – one with bright blond hair, wearing a white and pink dress that somehow would have seemed more appropriate on a child, while the woman next to her was dressed in dark clothes that reminded Castiel more of a rock concert than Sunday’s mass. Both women were beautiful, but that was not the reason Castiel took such interest. To be honest, he was surprised to see _any_ female alphas in Little Heaven since women seldom presented as such and were often unwelcome in alpha’s societies, or at the very least seen as inferior. Castiel assumed that most alpha women preferred to live in a place where your standing was not so much dependent on a penis. Though at the same time, strangely enough, being a male _omega_ did not give you any advantages.

Castiel stopped thinking about the females when another man sat down next to him, a little bit too close for his liking. Nonetheless, he tried for a shy smile, but the other omega just stared at him. It was unsettling. But not as much as the unpleasant scent. Usually, Castiel liked the smell of other omegas – he felt it was often calming, and less overwhelming as alphas’ could be. But to his nose, this man only reeked. It made Castiel think of rotten eggs. Not at all like the usually sweet or clean and fresh scent of omegas. If anything, it reminded him more of an alpha, but there was definitely a strong omega note to the scent.

To distract himself from the unpleasant odour, Castiel let his gaze wander over the small crowd again until he met the eyes of a dark-haired woman in the row in front of him. She smiled almost sardonically at him, then pointedly looked at the man next to Castiel, and rolled her eyes. Castiel assumed she did not like the weird-smelling omega too much.

After mass, Dean and Castiel were approached by the priest, father Kubrick. Castiel could not say he liked the beta, who had a very different take on the scripture than he himself. He very much seemed like a fanatic to Castiel. Someone who picked a few sentences he liked, emphasising them in any way he pleased, and ignored the rest.

Dean greeted the man with what looked like a heartfelt smile, and not for the first time did Castiel wonder at his partner’s acting skills. As the alpha talked to the priest in a surprisingly warm tone, Castiel watched the lean omega that had been seated next to him, trying to find out who he was mated to. The man noticed Castiel’s gaze, however, and a sneer formed on his face.  Again, Castiel was reminded of an alpha – the omega obviously did not like to be looked into the eyes directly and reacted with a similar hostility. And then his whole posture changed in an instant. One of the female alphas, the blonde, walked by him without even glancing at the man – but still, his shoulders slouched, and his gaze turned to the ground in a distinctly submissive gesture. Then, without another look in Castiel’s direction, he followed the woman, a few steps behind, not looking right or left. Neither the woman nor her mate talked to anyone – while the majority of the other residents stopped for a few minutes to shake hands or posture around other alphas. For instance, Castiel could see Lucifer Cage talking to an older man, or rather the alphas were staring at each other while the omega next to the stranger obviously waited with a timid expression until she could leave.

The next second, Castiel saw the dark-haired woman who had smirked at him in the church. But she did not seem half as confident as he had thought before as she followed a short alpha to the parking space. He also saw Cain, slowly walking home after he had waved at a couple.

Castiel enjoyed the opportunity to pretend listening to Dean and the father while he could watch the couples and families around them without attracting attention to himself. Never before had he seen so many alpha/omega-couples who showed such a strong hierarchy in their relationship. Sure, even outside of these communities you would find the occasional old-fashioned pair – but he had never felt intimidated by them before. He supposed he had never fully realised how the life of nearly all omegas had been up to about thirty years ago – even though his upbringing in a children’s home was a clear sign of how little omegas had meant to most people.

“Well, Castiel, I hope you listened closely to my sermon and will show your alpha the respect he deserves.”

Castiel nodded complaisantly while he tried to oppress the urge to throw up.

A moment later, the priest turned to the next couple and looked at them with open contempt. But the female alpha, standing next to a pretty brunette, seemed unimpressed and simply stared at the beta until he lowered his gaze.  

Castiel could not observe what happened further, as another couple stepped in Dean and Castiel’s way. The alpha offered his hand to Dean and welcomed him to the community. Just like Lucifer, he seemed to try to pose himself as the head alpha, but in a much subtler way. His suit screamed money, and he seemed a bit too slick when he introduced himself to Dean, and to Castiel, as Richard Roman. He had the attitude of a politician, but for some reason, Castiel was more reminded of a mob boss.

But he did not get too close an impression of the man since his mate, who had introduced herself as Naomi with a sweet smile, pulled Castiel a few steps away on his elbow. She seemed like the most determined omega he had met so far.

“Why don’t we let the alphas talk for a bit, Castiel?” She reminded Castiel of a horrible teacher he once had to suffer – one who had never been happy to share her knowledge with unworthy omega children. She had always sounded slightly condescending and displeased – just like Naomi now. “I am glad for the opportunity to get to know you. As I am one of the most respected omegas in this village I wanted to visit you anyway. Show you around a bit, tell you what living in Little Heaven means and what isn’t considered proper here.” She looked him over with a scrutinizing expression and wrinkled her nose a bit. Castiel resisted the temptation to look down on himself – as far as he knew he was dressed perfectly fine for Sunday Church. Maybe Naomi simply took offense in him being a man. “I fear some omegas don’t really know what to expect.”

Castiel had to supress a shiver, thinking that some unaware omega had somehow landed in a place like this, not knowing how their alpha would treat them once mated. But he assured himself that they would probably know they could get a divorce – other than some omegas who had the misfortune of growing up in places like Little Heaven.

“Maybe I can even engage you in some of our social work. I am the president of various omega clubs, for example, _knitting for our veterans_ will hold a meeting next week.”

Knitting? Castiel tried to look interested while he was torn between amusement and despair. He had no idea how to knit. He also did not know how this might help any veterans.

“But there is also a book club if that is more to your liking.” The voice came from behind, and Castiel turned to look at a pretty, young omega whose smile was a lot more honest than Naomi’s.

“Hello, I am Tessa Reaper. That over there is Billy, my mate.”

Castiel looked at Dean and Mr. Roman, who had been joined by a third alpha, one of the two females he had seen before. Castiel was not an expert in body language, but if he had to guess, he would say Dean liked Billy a lot more than Richard Roman. But on the other hand, Castiel instantly thought Tessa was a lot more likeable than Naomi. It might not be too clear who was the most dominant alpha in Little Heaven – but Naomi certainly thought she was the queen of all omegas.

Castiel had just introduced himself to the newcomer when Naomi cleared her throat, obviously not happy with his shifted attention.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Castiel,” Naomi said just as Mr Roman turned away from the group and walked to his car without checking if he was followed by his mate. Castiel assumed that, with such a perfect omega, he did not have to.

“Don’t mind Naomi. There are some tricks to avoid her.” Tessa chuckled as Billy and Dean stepped to the two omegas.

“Tessa, this is Dean Smith. Dean, this is my mate, Tessa.”

Dean greeted Tessa politely before he introduced Castiel.

“How do you like it here so far, Castiel?” Billy asked in a tone that Castiel could not identify.

“The village is very pretty, and everyone seems very nice.” He hoped this was the right answer. “How long have you been living here?”

“Well, Tessa grew up in Little Heaven, and I moved here less than two years ago, right before we mated.”

“My mother had been very sick, and I wanted to care for her during her last months,” Tessa added with a sad smile. “And she straight-out refused to move anywhere else.”

“She passed away half a year ago, and frankly, we are thinking about moving more towards the city,” Billy said with a frown on her face. Dean was surprisingly quiet; Castiel assumed it was the alpha’s turn to observe their surroundings.

“Oh?” Castiel still could not read the woman’s expression and thought this question was as neutral as possible.

Billy folded her arms in front of her chest. “Well, it is undoubtedly pretty, but… it is just not for everyone.”

There was such a determined note in her voice that Castiel did not want to question her further.

“We should get going. It was nice to meet you, Dean, Castiel.” Billy nodded to both of them and a moment later, she and her mate had disappeared. As he glanced around, Castiel could see that most people had already started toward their homes.

So the pretend couple slowly strolled towards their house as well. Castiel stayed half a step behind Dean as they talked lowly. But no one else seemed to be around, so they were not too careful about their topics.

“I know why I never go to church. First, some priest tries to make you feel bad for _everything_ you like to do. Then, there is that whole minefield of small-talk afterwards.”

Castiel chuckled at Dean’s comment. “It is not always this bad. I usually enjoy attending church.”

Dean looked incredulously at him and Castiel added: “You know, not all priests talk about sin and obedience the whole time. In my opinion, the sermons should resolve more around love or solace.”

Dean looked at him strangely, and Castiel felt embarrassed for his words so he changed the subject: “What did you make of Mr. Roman?”

“Well, Richard – or Dick, as I like to call him – basically told me that he is very, very rich.” Dean rubbed a hand over his chin in a gesture that would have looked more appropriate if he had more of a beard instead of the scruff on his face. “Yeah, I think that was basically all that happened. He is the head of a nutrition company – and he underlined how this is still the most promising industry in the world, because people will always have to eat. And that probably only means he will stay ridiculously wealthy until his dying day. Billy on the other hand did not seem very impressed – neither by him nor by Little Heaven in general. But maybe it is just very hard to impress her. How was Naomi?”

They were walking up the short pavement to their house and both halted a second to look curiously at their neighbour’s place – for the first time since they had arrived, someone seemed to be at home.

“Very much like the mate of a very, very rich alpha. She seems to think every omega should bow down to her. But I did like Tessa.” Castiel frowned, waiting while Dean unlocked their front door. “But to think that she had to grow up here…”

“From what I could learn from Cain, this place did not always be so… restricted. It used to be a suburb just like any other – but with time, the more progressive families moved to the city and in the last decades, the place changed into a safe haven for old-fashioned alphas.”

“But Cain stayed?”

“He is an old man, widowed and lonely. Maybe he just didn’t want to move from the place where he had been happy with his mate. Or maybe he likes to be surrounded by couples living in the Old Way. Who knows?”

“But you don’t think he is a killer?” Castiel pulled off his shoes and walked to the kitchen to put the curry he had already prepared on the stove.

Dean sighed. “No, I don’t think he has anything to do with murder.”

Castiel could tell that Dean liked their elderly neighbour. He could also tell he felt guilty for liking any alpha who chose to live in this community. And to be honest, Castiel was not ready to assure Dean it was all right – he himself was far less willing to see the good in anyone who chose to live in a place where omegas were considered hardly more than property.

 

>><< 

 

In the afternoon, they were visited by Benny, another detective and, unsurprisingly, a good friend of Dean’s. He had brought Donna with him and the two made an odd pair. For a second, Castiel tried to picture the long drive down to Kensington – the chipper Donna Hanscum next to the quiet and sincere Benny Lafitte.

Castiel assumed it helped their story a lot if they had friends visiting from time to time – they were a normal couple after all. It would probably be more suspicious if they were hiding in their house all day, having no connections to anyone outside of Little Heaven or trying too hard to make new friends too soon.

Benny and Donna stayed for over two hours, mostly checking if everything was all right and exchanging some information. Dean emphasised again that his colleagues should look into the past of Lucifer Cage since he had acted suspicious. Benny raised an eyebrow but only insured he would pass it on. He also gave Dean some more details about his new job. In collaboration with the Federal Investigators, they had found a position as a strategic advisor in a security company for him. Castiel thought he should be glad he did not have to focus on a new line of work on top of all the excitement to pose as a mated couple. Maybe there were some advantages that no one would expect any more from him than cleaning and cooking.

While Benny talked to Dean about his pretend-job, Donna pulled Castiel to the kitchen to share a more private conversation.

“So, Cas, how are you?” There was no hint at her usual cheeriness as she watched him.

“Good, I’m… good.”

“You know, you can tell me if there are any sort of problems. Maybe we can find a solution together.”

“It is all right, really.” Castiel wished he could keep his blushing under control. “I’ve not been out that much since we moved here, and mostly in Dean’s company. And I feel quite comfortable in the house.”

“So no troubles with your partner or, you know, the … sleeping arrangements?”

Castiel’s face turned a deeper shade of pink and he just shook his head no. It just seemed to make her more suspicious and she furrowed her brows at him. So Castiel was very much trying _not_ to think back on the last couple of nights where each man had stayed strictly on their side of the bed. He also tried not to think about that one time when he had returned from the bedroom and stepped in on Dean who had only been wearing a pair of boxers at that moment. The alpha had not seemed fathomed – after all, they lived together, of course they might see more of each other than they would in an office. But still, Castiel had not known where to look; anywhere but the naked chest in front of him seemed like the right option. Dean had only chuckled. The alpha had then opened his mouth as if to say something, smirk on his face, but in the end, he just shrugged and pulled a shirt over his head. Doubtlessly wondering about Castiel’s modesty – and the omega wished he had appeared more composed. But he still felt flushed thinking about that moment.

“Are you feeling a heat sneaking up on you?”

“What? No!” He swallowed down the awkwardness to talk about personal things with a virtual stranger. “And I probably will not go into heat for some weeks, maybe even months, according to my doctor. She indicated that after terminating medication, it would often either hit directly afterwards or take a long while.”

He did not mention how the last time he hade stopped taking his pills, his heat hat started about a week later. But that was years ago, when he was still with Uriel. And his doctor had seemed convinced it was more likely his body needed some time to find back into a natural rhythm.

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. After all, you sleep in the same bed as a dominant, virile alpha.” Donna leaned forwards and whispered with a smile: “Not to mention, he is not too hard on the eyes, eh?”

Castiel assumed she had added the latter to make him laugh or at least to lighten the mood – but she must have realised he was only more embarrassed than before, because she quickly sobered up.

“I just wanted to remind you that Sam or I will gladly come and help you through, okay?”

Castiel nodded, but he was not sure he could. He would rather like to lock himself in the guestroom for 48 hours and wait it out. But it had been almost ten years ago when he had to spend a heat on his own, and he knew, even though two days did not sound like much, it could feel like an eternity. And he had been taught that another omega could help – maybe not as much as an alpha, but at least the non-threatening physical contact and scent would have a calming effect. Even though it was not quite the kind of contact one craved.

Donna might have misread the hesitant look on his face, because she declared in a firm voice: “This will be okay, Cas. Dean won’t touch you and he’ll call us at the first sign of heat. I know he is a hot-head, but he’d never hurt anyone. Or take advantage of your vulnerable state.”

Again, Castiel could only nod. He was not so much afraid of Dean as he was of his own actions once he would be in heat. So far, he had managed to appear composed, (well kind of, maybe a bit prude,) but once his hormones took over, he was afraid he would simply throw himself at the alpha, confessing his never-dying love. But that thought was ridiculous – it was not like omegas’ brains didn’t work anymore just because they were in heat. But they _were_ less inhibited, like after one or two glasses of wine – still fully conscious and responsible for their actions; but starting to flirt with an alpha you have been in love with for two years seemed scarily possible. And alphas often still believed that omegas were completely lust-driven during a heat – Castiel blamed porn, which was almost completely thriving on that very image – so maybe he could use that as an excuse afterwards. As much as he’d hate to play into the stupid stereotype. On the other hand, Dean had practically raised an omega brother, so maybe he would not even buy it.

With those sunny thoughts, they returned to the living room, and Castiel was glad when the two officers raised from their seats an hour later for he could do with some time alone to clear his mind. Since his talk with Donna, he had to constantly push away any thoughts of a possible heat and of spending this heat in the same house as Dean Winchester. He even had to fight some memories of Uriel, both at the beginning of their relationship and towards the end. Those were very different kinds of memories.

The undercover couple walked Benny and Donna to their car and waved them goodbye – putting on a good show for Cain, who was out in the garden with his bees. But when they started to return inside, they were held up by another alpha who suddenly stood in their way. Even though Castiel had never seen him before, he knew it must be their direct neighbour to the right – since it was the only possible explanation of how he could have sneaked up on them from behind.

The short man eyed Dean up and down for a moment – he seemed inappropriately cocky – and then held out his hand.

“Fergus Crowley. Seems like we are next-door-neighbours from now on.”

“Dean Smith.” The alphas shook hands. “And this is my mate, Castiel.”

Crowley hardly looked at Castiel and added in a dismissive tone: “And that is my omega. Meg, come here.”

Only then did Castiel realise the figure that had stood a couple of feet away. Dean did not appear to be caught off-guard, however. The woman hesitantly moved towards the group, and Castiel was surprised when he recognised her as the brown-haired omega in church. Before, she had seemed rather feisty, but now her shoulders were hunched forwards in a submissive pose as she stopped behind her mate. She held a plate in her hands and did not meet anyone’s eyes.

“Have you two been on vacation? I just ask, because your house seemed empty for the last couple of days.” There was an edge in Dean’s voice, but Castiel could not tell whether it was from curiousness or animosity.

“Yes, I’ve been away. I make a lot of business trips, but sometimes I just stay in the city overnight when I finish late. But Meg was here. Weren’t you, Meg?”

The omega nodded. “Yes, alpha.”

Dean and Crowley exchanged a few more words – where they had lived before, their jobs (Crowley worked as a Legal Counsel for an international firm, but Castiel noticed how he did not mention any specifics) as well as the horrible traffic to Kensington on a Monday morning. Neither of the omegas said one word, but Castiel did not mind. It gave him the opportunity to observe the man in front of him. Crowley seemed cocky even though he was not as dominant as Dean, never truly meeting his eyes, and once or twice Castiel was not so sure whether the alpha had only made a joke or subtly challenged Dean. But the detective seemed a lot more relaxed than he had been with Lucifer a few days ago. Maybe he just did not feel as threatened in his alphaness by the short man.

Once, Crowley grabbed Meg’s shoulder and Castiel was standing close enough to notice the sudden change of scent. An omega’s scent was a delicate thing and not as easy to read as books or movies liked to display. You could often get a general idea of strong emotions – if someone was really happy or scared or sad – but a lot of scents where kind of similar, especially if you didn’t know a person too well. On a stranger, you could hardly distinguish anger from worry or even arousal. But still, to Castiel at least, Meg seemed almost disgusted of her mate.

“I don’t want to hold you up any longer. We just wanted to bring you a little welcoming gift.” Crowley waved a hand at his mate. Meg stepped forwards and held a plate full of brownies out to Castiel. Just as he reached for it, Meg stumbled and fell against Castiel so that he almost lost balance as well. But before he could fall to the floor, he felt a strong hand grabbing his arm. For a second, he was sure it was Dean, but the touch did not make him feel as safe as it usually did, and also – wrong side. In fact, Crowley had helped him. The alpha let go of him as quickly as he had reached out and held his hands up. Probably because Dean had started growling. The sound was still very low, even Castiel almost missed it, but you just did not go around touching the omegas of other alphas, at least not in this kind of neighbourhood.

“Meg, back inside,” Crowley bit out to his mate, and Castiel felt bad for her as she hurried towards her home. Her pose indicated she expected to be punished for her mistake. Castiel wanted to say something to calm the situation, but he had to stick to his role, no matter how much he disliked it. And Dean did not look like he was about to make excuses for her – instead, he was showing all the growly possessiveness Rowena had taught him. But it seemed pretty convincing, and not for the first time did Castiel wonder how much of Dean’s behaviour in public was an act.

“I apologise,” Crowley said simply.

“We had a long day. Good night,” Dean turned around and walked to the door, pulling Castiel behind him.

Castiel had barely been able to close the door when Dean was crowding in on him, rolling up the omega’s sleeve so he could look at the arm where Crowley had grabbed him. There were no marks, but Dean still frowned. He then lifted Castiel’s arm to his face and scented at it. Castiel could feel the alpha’s rough cheek and breath tickle his skin and tried to suppress a shiver. A very pleasant shiver.

“Dean?” He was not sure what had rattled the alpha so much.

“Too fast.”

“What?”

“He was at your side too fast. I was much closer to you. Almost like he was prepared…”

“You think he had arranged to catch me before I stumbled to the floor? Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know.”

Dean let Castiel’s arm sink down again, but he did not stop frowning. And neither did he let go, his thump absent-mindedly drawing circles on Castiel’s arm.

“There is just something about the guy that bugs me.”

Castiel hardly registered what Dean had said since the alpha was still stroking over his arm. He seemed unaware of it, however.

“Maybe… maybe he wanted to see how you would react. Maybe some form of power play. He did seem like the type who would enjoy riling someone up and see what happens,” Castiel said in an attempt to concentrate on the conversation instead of how very, very close they were standing to each other. But that was futile since the next second, Dean had stopped glaring at Castiel’s arm and looked him straight in the eyes.

Dean licked his lips, and automatically, Castiel mirrored the action. Then Dean’s gaze wandered over Castiel’s face, stayed on his lips for a long second, and then on the omega’s throat.

“We… ah… we need to renew the mark today.” The alpha’s voice sounded unusually hoarse.

Castiel only nodded. On Friday, they had renewed the bite mark already – in the fully lit kitchen while a commentator on TV was booming through the hall about some football game. The situation had felt as trivial as possible. But this, right now, was different.

Castiel swallowed and then wordlessly tipped his head to the side. He felt Dean lean in, strong fingers still around his arm, and a second later there were soft lips at his neck, followed by a tiny sting, then a gentle lick. Castiel was still dazed when Dean suddenly made at least five steps backwards. He had already turned around and was halfway up the stairs before Castiel even managed to open his eyes again.

“I think I’ll tell Charlie to look into this Crowley character’s life. There is something off about him. And all those strange trips… I don’t like it.”

Castiel still stood with his back against the front door and tried to calm his breathing. He had wanted to say something, anything, about Crowley; how Dean probably overreacted, how the alpha had only recently moved here, how it could all have been a mistake – but no words came out of his mouth.

And his arm still felt hot from the alpha’s touch.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

 

Five days in and they had already found a steady routine.

Dean would get up first and head straight to the bathroom while Castiel awoke minutes later, only after a loud ring from the alarm clock, and then stumbled downstairs in his PJ’s to prepare breakfast. It worked out perfectly: Dean was more of a shower-in-the-morning-kind of guy while Castiel preferred to freshen up before he went to bed and enjoyed a few quiet moments in the kitchen to wake up before he was confronted with the hot alpha he was so unfortunately in love with.  The cup of boiling hot coffee also helped – even if Dean had repeatedly argued that it would burn off Castiel’s tongue one day.

After their first night, the actual-sleeping-part had gotten easier. Usually, Castiel was gone only minutes after Dean joined him in bed. He only awoke once or twice during the night and quickly moved more towards his side, nearly falling off the bed in the attempt of putting as much space between him and Dean as possible. He was still nervous he would somehow snuggle up to Dean in his sleep if he wasn’t cautious. Or that Dean would see him drooling on his pillow since he always woke up before Castiel.

On Monday morning, Castiel had just poured coffee into the mugs when Dean came into the kitchen – this time dressed in an expensive suit. The omega tried not to stare and rushed upstairs to change his clothes and brush his teeth to be at least moderately presentable during breakfast. As usual, Dean distributed the eggs with bacon on the plates while Castiel was upstairs.

“Ready for your new job?” The omega asked as he sat down to join Dean at the kitchen table a few minutes later.

“As ready as I’m gonna be. Seems to be a piece of cake. Charlie already sent me some presentations and whatnot. Guess I just have to repeat what the team has prepared for me and act confident.” Dean made it sound so easy, _act confident_. Castiel suppressed a sigh and sipped at the still hot coffee. “What about you? Looking forward to a lecture from Naomi?”

The omega rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me. Maybe I am lucky, and she forgets about me.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

Castiel didn’t.

And sure enough, just a minute after Dean had left, the doorbell rang. It was not even eight, for goodness sake. Castiel contemplated to ignore it, but he could already hear Naomi nagging him about how omegas should never be lazy and start the day bright and early. He also had a feeling that she’d watched the house and knew exactly that Dean had just left. She seemed to be that kind of neighbour. Castiel was glad she did not live right next door – she would probably keep a record on all his activities.

He answered the speaker and a second later buzzed the door open.

“Good day, Naomi. What a pleasure to see you so early in the morning.”

If Naomi caught the irony, she did not let it show.

“Well, I like to start my day bright and early. Mated omegas should never be idle.”

Castiel almost laughed since her greeting was so much like he had expected. Maybe his judgement of people was not that bad after all.

“Can I offer you a cup of coffee?”

“Tea, please. Chamomile, with a slice of lemon.”

Castiel managed to not raise his eyebrows at the specific order and was inwardly grateful he had both things stocked. Naomi followed Castiel to the kitchen and then frowned at the table which still showed the remnants of breakfast.

“Please, excuse the mess, but Dean just left, and I had no chance to clean up yet.”

The contempt on Naomi’s face just seemed to increase. “You eat with him?” She asked in an incredulous tone.

“Well… yes.” There was no way of denying it now, with the plates and cups still on the table. And Rowena had explained that sharing meals was perfectly fine. But somehow, Naomi did not look like it was fine, not at all.

“You know, I usually get up two hours before my alpha – so I am already presentable and have eaten before he even wakes up.”

“Why?” Castiel asked. The look Naomi gave him made him fear he would regret his unruliness later, but for now, he was satisfied to see that she did not seem to have an answer right away.

“Well… So I can serve him breakfast, of course.”

Castiel did not reply – though he was kind of curious how much serving you could do _during_ breakfast. He quickly cleaned the table, putting the used dishes only in the sink – of course, he earned another raised eyebrow for that, but she could not expect him to do anything else while he had a visitor. That would be just as impolite, wouldn’t it? Obviously, he could not win in this situation. So instead, he chose to ignore her looks and set a perfectly served cup of tea in front of her a few moments later.

“Thank you.”

The next half hour, Castiel tried to keep a neutral face while Naomi lectured him about Little Heaven. It was not that different from what Rowena had told him last week, though the omega in front of him seemed to be a lot more passionate about it. For Naomi, this was not merely a case, but the way of life. Maybe he should introduce the two women and they could compare notes. Castiel enjoyed the thought of how Rowena would talk down to Naomi, sounding like she had lived here all her life instead of the omega. He was convinced she could pull that off with a perfectly condescending expression.

“During the week, I buy my groceries only in Little Heaven. I don’t know if you have a driver’s license, but I believe, as an omega, you should never handle a car yourself. That is an alpha’s job. Mr Roman accompanies me to Kensington once a week, so we can get anything I can’t purchase from our local store.”

Castiel wasn’t surprised by that attitude – old-fashioned alphas often did not want their mates to even know how to drive much less give them their own car. Easier to control them that way since they always had to stay within walking distance.

“So, let’s go.” Naomi abruptly set her cup on the table and rose from her chair.

“Go?” Castiel had not known he would have to leave the house.

“To show you around, of course, especially the little shops. You should always buy bread or vegetables the day you cook it. Keeps your alpha healthy when everything is as fresh as possible. So, we will buy whatever you need for dinner.”

“Oh, but I won’t cook dinner.” At Naomi’s outraged look, he quickly added: “I mean, not tonight. Mr Cain Knight invited us, and I will only bring dessert.”

Castiel did not know what could be wrong with their dinner plans, but he was not surprised to see the clear disapproval on Naomi’s face. It seemed like he just could not do anything right.

“Look, Castiel, I don’t doubt that Mr Knight is a respectable man, but he does not have a mate. And it is not proper for an omega to sit at a table with only two alphas…”

“Oh, but Dean said he wanted me to accompany him. And I would not want to object to my alpha’s wishes, would I?” Castiel said with a perfectly pretended uncertainty in his voice.

And it worked. Naomi replied, not at all pleased: “Of course, you should never disagree with your mate.”

Castiel quickly turned around and put their two mugs in the sink – so Naomi could not see his satisfied smile.

“Then come on, at least buy some eggs and bacon for tomorrow’s breakfast. And some fresh bread.”

Castiel contemplated to argue that they still had enough for the next couple of days, but he feared she would just suggest he should buy biscuits and rolls every day before his mate even got up. Or milk a cow himself. He also remembered it was his job to collect information about the village and its residents – and this was a good opportunity. No matter how much he detested Naomi, she seemed to be a valuable source for gossip. So he wordlessly took his jacket and followed Naomi outside – and allowed her to lead him through the small grocery store as if he couldn’t have found the way to the milk himself.

When they stepped out of the bakery half an hour later – and Castiel had bought enough to last for the whole week – Tessa came up to them with a bag in hand. Castiel tried to peek inside, somewhat puzzled to see the woman up and about so early, but she held it too close to her chest.

“Naomi, good morning. Castiel, nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Tessa,” Castiel greeted amiably, afraid that the relief was too obvious on his face.

“Are you finished with your groceries, Castiel? Then we can walk home together.” She turned to Naomi with a wide smile. “I am sure Castiel would feel bad to keep you up any longer. I know how busy you are with all your social work. And we live in the same street anyway.”

“Don’t you have to get something from the bakery first?” Naomi asked in a badly hidden attempt to accompany Castiel home and probably continue her speech about proper omega behaviour.

“Oh no, Billy’s gonna bring some from our favourite baker’s shop. I just _love_ their cinnamon rolls.”

“You let your alpha do the shopping for you?” Naomi said in a tone Castiel had already gotten used to – again, he was reminded of that one teacher you could never satisfy.

“Well, it is right on her way.” There was a rebellious tone in Tessa’s voice, and from Naomi’s look, Castiel imagined she had not often defied the older omega like that.

He anticipated there was a long lecture on Naomi’s lips already, so Castiel interrupted as politely as he could: “Tessa is right, Naomi. Thank you so much for your advice, but I am sure you have more urgent matters to attend to.”

Naomi looked dumbstruck for just a second; then she said: “I hope you will think about joining our knitting club, Castiel. But I will give you some more time to settle in. Tessa. You know you were such a nice little girl. Don’t forget I watched you grow up. It is not my place to judge your alpha, …”

“Of course not. Omegas should never talk badly about respectable alphas,” Tessa replied sweetly before Naomi could finish her sentence.

Naomi’s face turned slightly white, but she only nodded stiffly at Castiel, and then turned to walk in the opposite direction they came from.

“You handled that quite well, Castiel. Most important rule with Naomi: Be always polite and use her own words against her.” She linked arms with Castiel as the two started to stroll towards their homes. “Don’t worry, she gives all the new omegas the speech. And it is impossible to ever live up to her expectations. But if you think that was uncomfortable, imagine how it was to be raised in a place with her. The Romans moved here 20 years ago – and my first memory of Naomi is when she told my mom she should not let her daughter play in the garden. Because my dress might get all dirty. And I had not even presented back then. But I sure liked to bake mud-pie.”

“But she still called you a nice girl,” Castiel’s lips twitched.

 “Maybe she is getting old and her memory is turning a bit fuzzy.” Tessa laughed. “But I guess we always got along well enough – until I fell in love with a female alpha.”

“And she doesn’t agree with that? Two women mated?” Castiel could easily imagine how that concept would displease Naomi – after all, he had just been told about the most sacred duty of all omegas, and how he should best get with child as soon as possible – since he was already of _advanced age_.

“I don’t think it is so much because my mate is a woman. She always speaks respectfully of Lilith after all. But Billy… well, she doesn’t really fit here. I mean, she does some of the shopping, and the dishes, and one day, Naomi saw her hanging out the laundry – I was sure she would have a heart attack right on our porch.” She chuckled, then added in a low voice like she was talking to herself: “It is unusual in Little Heaven. But I have heard that it is not so uncommon in other places.”

“How did you two meet?” Castiel asked in honest curiosity.

“In college.” His surprise must have shown on his face because Tessa added: “My parents sent me; they thought I should be well educated, so my mate would have someone to talk to and not just a pretty face to look at. At least that is what my mother always told my dad. I only went to Kensington though, so I could still live at home. Took the bus every day.” She shivered a bit – but Castiel could not say if that was because of memories of a long drive, sweaty passengers or invasive alphas.

“But then you two moved here?”

“Yes. As I said yesterday, I did not want to leave my sick mother. And now we inherited a nice house with a big garden – we would have never been able to afford that in the city. But we will probably sell my home and move anyway. Billy’s just not happy here. And I have to say, the longer the two of us are together…” She looked at Castiel. “Not that it is a bad place. You know, not everyone is as strict as Naomi. But… Billy thinks I could get a job or learn to drive a car. I thought we would try to adopt a child as soon as possible, but Billy wants me to do something for myself first, and then talk about it again in a few years.”

Tessa’s eyes shone brightly and Castiel was glad that she had found someone to show her that she could make a life for herself – even if she grew up in a place like this. He also noticed the parallels and opposites of his relationship with Uriel – and how a seemingly progressive alpha could turn out to be surprisingly old-fashioned.

Castiel and Uriel had met in college as well, during their last year. After they had graduated, Uriel assumed they would move in together right away – but Castiel had not wanted to. He had never lived on his own before, first in the children’s home, then he shared a room with Hannah in college. For him, the decision to get his own apartment – small and shabby as it had been – had nothing to do with _not_ wanting to move in with Uriel, but more that he wanted to be independent and self-reliant for the first time in his life. They had also only known each other for a few months, and Castiel did not want to rush things. In retrospect, he did not know if it had shocked Uriel more that he didn’t want to live with him in his expensive flat, or his decision to apply for a job within the police force. But the alpha had been mostly silent about it – until two years into their relationship. Good years, Castiel had to admit. But then Uriel had started to push Castiel into a mating bond, had hinted he was old enough to get with child and forget about that nonsense of a full-time job.

They had started to fight a lot.

Nevertheless, Castiel had moved in with Uriel, assuming that it would appease him if he took at least one step towards mating. But things just got worse. Housework became Castiel’s job – Uriel even snapped at him once or twice about wet towels in the bathroom. Their sex life had changed as well – Uriel had been attentive at the beginning of their relationship, but he had started to insist that it was the omega’s job to please the alpha, not the other way around. He had suddenly demanded complete submission from Castiel, and when the omega had flat out refused to do something Uriel asked of him, or when the alpha had been too rough for his liking, Uriel had started to use his Alpha Voice to pressure him. Castiel usually could break out of it easily and would not allow to be used that way – even though it hurt, a lot – but that just made Uriel so much more irritable. They usually made up after one or two days of silence, Uriel apologising profoundly and Castiel just relieved the alpha was not mad at him anymore.

Until that night when Uriel had truly tried to force Castiel, more power in his voice than ever before – and the omega had packed his bags and hid in a motel, feeling uneasy to even go to work for weeks. He used to think it was pathetic that he, the proud police officer and applying detective, could be as easily intimidated by his boyfriend as the next omega.

“Castiel? Is everything all right?” Tessa had put a hand over his, and only now did Castiel notice that his scent had changed. Omegas did not pick up as easily on scents as alphas, but he could clearly smell the sour note in the air. “I did not want to… I mean, there is nothing wrong with living here, staying at home. Your alpha seems like a good man. Tell me about him.”

“It was nothing you said. I am sorry; I got lost in memories.” Then he cleared his throat and told her about how he met Dean – the story Charlie and Rowena had invented, not the truth, obviously. But he did not make it sound so much like Dean had practically bought him from an omega house, but he put a splash of love-at-first-sight into the narration. So in the end, Dean appeared more like a hero, who had saved him from a horrible facility.

“And you know,” his voice turned into a whisper and he looked around like he was scared someone might listen in on them, but there was an almost cheeky smile playing around his lips, “sometimes, he even cleans the dishes.”

Tessa laughed out loud, and Castiel was surprised how easy it had been to make her do so. He did not know if he should have said that last thing, if it would fit with their cover story, but he hadn’t wanted her to worry about him anymore, or about how her words had affected him.

When they reached Castiel’s house, Tessa waved him goodbye and walked further down the street. As he was about to open his door, he heard a loud:

“Clarence! Hey!”

Meg was standing at the fence next to the _Smith_ ’s garage.

“It’s _Castiel_ , actually,” the young man said as he walked up to her, but Meg only shrugged, obviously unfazed she got the name wrong.

“I saw Naomi giving you the talk,” she said in a tone that indicated she had suffered the same fate.

“Yes, she was very… helpful.” Castiel tried to sound neutral.

“I bet she was. _You should only cook low-carb. Make sure your mate eats healthy. Only vegetable snacks after seven. It is your duty as an omega to look after your alpha’s wellbeing – and his weight._ ” Meg was quite good at imitating Naomi’s tone of voice. She also did not seem at all like the omega he had seen the day before – when she had looked like the stereotype of a submissive servant.

“Well, she didn’t say _that_ , but she reminded me to get up two hours before my mate so everything will be perfect when he wakes up.”

“Well, your mate does not look like you have to pay so much attention to his diet. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt if Crowley lost a few pounds. Not that it would make him look any less repulsive.”

Castiel looked at her with wide eyes. He had not expected her – or anyone here, really – to talk like that about her alpha. He opened his mouth to reply, not yet knowing what would come out, when Meg took in a harsh breath and looked at something on the other side of the road. Castiel turned his head and saw Lucifer Cage, leaving his house further down the street and slowly strolling into their direction. Meg turned back towards Castiel.

“You… we should go back inside, Castiel. So we don’t get into trouble with our mates. I don’t trust that Lucifer. Sometimes he is gone for days, and other times he prowls around the streets every hour. Recently, he even talked to Alastair – you know that creepy omega who sat next to you in church. Got him into a whole load of trouble with his mate. She might look all sweet and nice, but if you ask me, she is as bad as Lucifer. I think they both got a kick out of the fact that the omega was to be punished for no reason.”

The omegas looked at each other for a moment, then both turned around and walked towards their separate homes. As Castiel stepped over the threshold, he looked at Meg again. The female omega was standing at her door, watching Lucifer with an interest that unsettled Castiel, before she finally went inside, almost reluctantly.

Just as Castiel closed the door behind him, he could see Lucifer passing Cain’s house. He did not know if it were Meg’s words or his previous dislike for the man, but he somehow felt trapped. He even contemplated to get the gun from the bedroom, just in case. But at the same time, he would have liked to follow the alpha, see what he was up to – it was strange that the CEO of a big pharma company was loitering around the suburbs on a work day. But how would it look if he actually got caught sniffing around an unmated alpha! He decided it might hurt their case more than help it, so Castiel stayed inside the house, trying not to think of it as a trap.

To deflect himself, Castiel did some actual housework – he put the laundry in the washing machine and cleaned up the kitchen. Then he looked around the living room but decided it was tidy enough – no doubt Naomi would disagree, but Dean would not notice the invisible dust on the cupboards.

Castiel laughed at his own thought – he was subconsciously starting to acknowledge Dean as his mate. That was not a safe train of thought.

He would have liked to go out and observe the habits of his neighbours a bit, but it would probably be too conspicuous if he left the house again so soon. He also did not want to risk running into Naomi for a second time that day.

Just as he started to go upstairs to look for a book he had brought with him, the telephone rang.

“Smith Residence, this is Castiel speaking.”

“Wow, Cas, that sounded really professional.”

“Hey, Charlie. How are you?”

“The question should be: how are you? Is Stepford getting to you already? Do you feel like a good little omega?” Her voice shook with laughter.

“Yeah, and what exactly makes an omega good?” Came another voice, Sam.

Castiel almost sighed in relief – he liked Charlie, he truly did, but he usually understood less than half of what she said.

“Don’t aske me. I’m a Genius-IT-Woman. I am obviously not very good at following stereotypes.”

“Is there something I can help you with or did you just call to discuss omega behaviour with me?” Castiel did not want to be rude – there was just something about aimless banter that confused him.

Charlie sobered up: “Sorry, Cas. We just wanted to give you some news on the alphas Dean has told us about.”

“So, first, there is this Lucifer Cage.” There was some clicking noise, then Sam went on: “He is not as clean as we first thought. He had been charged by two alphas who claimed he had tried to assault their mates. The reason we have not known about this earlier is that the charges had been dropped almost instantly. But both alphas live now in distinctly bigger houses with distinctly bigger bank accounts, and have divorced from their mates.”

Castiel scoffed and muttered: “Well, he must have a lot of money as the CEO of _CagedPain_.”

“That he does,” Charlie chimed in. “They only market in generic medication – the production is rather cheap, but they sell all over the country. And their CEO travels around quite a bit. So, there is opportunity right there.”

“But we cannot link him to any of the suspects. None of them worked in the pharma industry,” Sam took over again. “Then there is this Azazel Amber. His CV is a bit of a mystery, and we can hardly find out anything about him until 20 years ago when he started his maintenance company. The most important information here: He has subsidiaries in all the states of the murders, and in two communities his company is responsible for caretaking. He even has worked there personally at some point in the past. From my point of view, that seems to be the strongest link we could make to Little Heaven so far. So I would definitely watch Azazel Amber closely.”

“That definitely seems to be suspicious. I would say that there was something off with him – but to be honest, I think there is something wrong with nearly everyone here,” Castiel had to admit. “What about Crowley? Dean thought he liked to play games.”

Castiel could hear Charlie giggle, and even Sam let out a short laugh.

“Now, I hope you sit down, my friend, because I have some delicious news about Mr Crowley.”

Castiel chose not to reply – which seemed to disappoint Charlie, because it was Sam who then explained: “Crowley used to work as a lawyer and had a certain reputation to get even the guiltiest culprits acquitted. He was just that good – and of course, also that expensive. But about ten years ago, he turned his back to trial courts and started to work as Legal Counsel for big companies, with a specialty for contracts. He is obviously very clever and quit-witted – and from what we have learned so far, little power games seem to be right up his alley. He is not the most dominant of alphas, but he makes that up in wit. He had only mated Meg a few months ago, and to be honest, we could not find out much about her. But that is not too surprising for an omega, who are still often hidden away until they are mated off. She seems to be Crowley’s third mate.”

Sam stopped for a moment, and Castiel wondered: “So? Where is the saucy detail?”

It was Charlie who answered, and Castiel could hear the smugness in her voice: “You know who his mother is?”

“No. How could I? Who is his mother, Charlie?” Castiel was starting to lose patience.

“None other than Rowena McLeod!”

“What?! But that… how did we not know? And how… I mean, she looks half is age!”

“Well, to your first question: Rowena did not raise him. She wanted to make a career and since the father was out of the picture, she gave her son into a foster home when he was three and she decided she had _better things to do with her life_. Her words. And for your other question,” Charlie’s voice became a conspiratorial whisper, “we all agreed she must be a witch. There is no other explanation.”

Sam laughed: “Well, you, Garth and Donna agreed. The rest of us still look for more reasonable explanations.”

“Like time travel? Because I would also be willing to accept the possibility of time travel.”

Castiel wondered at Charlie’s logic but tried to concentrate on the more pressing matters at hand: “But Rowena was the agent who had looked into the inhabitants of Little Heaven. Did she not know Crowley is her son?”

“Oh, she did know. She just thought it was of no importance since she and Crowley obviously share nothing but a few genes.” Sam sounded almost angry, like so much indifference bothered him. Or maybe he was concerned that she was too involved in the case now to work as their liaison to the Federal Investigators.

Castiel was not that troubled about her possible emotional attachment – Rowena had not seemed all that sentimental to him. If she had not seen her son since his third birthday, Castiel was sure Crowley was just another human being to her and nothing more. But it was still unsettling that she had hidden that fact from them. But fortunately, he did not have to deal with Rowena himself.

“Thank you for the information. I will tell Dean as soon as he comes back from work.”

 

>><< 

 

Dean returned at around six, which gave him just enough time to change and listen to Castiel’s summary of what the omega had learned today. Just as the couple opened the door to walk over to Cain’s, there were two figures standing in front of them.

“Oh, hello, I was just about to knock,” said a sweet melodic voice. It was the blonde alpha woman, and a few feet behind her stood her mate, Alastair.

She was wearing a pink dress with small white ribbons – and just like in church, Castiel was reminded of a little girl’s look. She smiled at Dean, and the white of her teeth was blinding.

“Good evening, Mr Smith. I am Lilith Seal. And this is my mate, Alastair. Say hello, Al.”

“Good evening, Alpha,” the omega said at once – and for some reason did Castiel dislike his voice just as much as his scent. But now that Castiel was standing close to both him and his alpha, he was not really sure whether the strong note of sulphur was coming from Alastair or Lilith.

“Hello, Lilith, Alastair. This is Castiel,” Dean introduced in a neutral tone.

Castiel only nodded politely.

“We just wanted to introduce ourselves, you know, chat a little. But I see you are about to leave the house,” Lilith observed with a pout that might have looked cute – if she had been twenty years younger.

“Yes, unfortunately, we need to be on our way. We have a dinner invitation and wouldn’t want to be late.”

“What a coincidence, that is exactly why I am here; to invite you as well!” Lilith clapped into her hands in excitement. “I will hold a little party on Friday night, and you and your omega simply have to come as well. Everyone important will be there.”

“Thank you, we will be pleased to come,” Dean accepted the invitation with a warm smile. In fact, they had hoped to be invited to a private dinner with some of their neighbours; it seemed like a good opportunity to inspect them in a small crowd.

There was a short pause, Dean ready to step out of the door completely, but Lilith still stood in front of him with her too bright smile. Her gaze wandered to Castiel and then she showed even more teeth.

“Why, is that a pie in your hands, Castiel? Do you like to bake?” She pouted her mouth and looked like she was thinking hard on something. To Castiel, it just seemed overly dramatic, and he already dreaded what she was about to say. “I wonder… maybe you could help Alastair out a bit? Next Friday? I mean, he is very good at keeping the house tidy, but with the cooking…” She sounded like she was talking about a dog which was not yet housebroken. And Alastair looked more ashamed than anything else. Then Lilith quickly glanced at Dean. “Don’t worry. Naomi Roman will be there as well, and I won’t be back until the guests are to arrive. I work as a real estate agent and will be in Clinton for a couple of days.”

Great, working in a kitchen with Alastair and Naomi. This sounded like so much fun. Castiel could not help squirming a bit, all the while Alastair watched him with his unsettling eyes.

“I am sure Castiel will be delighted to help, won’t you, omega?” There was the slightest hint of Alpha in Dean’s voice. It was not the first time Castiel heard it – they had even practised such scenes with Rowena – but he still found it unsettling. Lilith’s smile widened – and that rattled Castiel even more. The alpha seemed to enjoy his discomfort.

“Of course, alpha. When should I come?” He asked their visitors.

“Oh, maybe around three. You can go back home and change before we start – we have booked servants for the dinner itself, so you only have to help with the cooking.”

Well, Castiel guessed he should be glad he only had to _make_ the food for the dinner he had just been invited to, and not also serve it.

“You say you work in real estate?” To strangers, Dean’s voice probably sounded nothing more than politely curious, but Castiel immediately perked up – despite his inner turmoil of helping out with dinner. “Could it be we owe our new home to your company?”

“Oh, no, I only work in commercial property, mostly office buildings in Kensington.” She straightened and looked extremely proud. “But I have been able to bring some lucrative companies to the city. For example, I convinced Lucifer to move CagedPain’s headquarters to Kensington, and in the end, he landed in this fine community. So I guess I should also charge the realtor of Little Heaven.” She giggled – not a laugh or a chuckle, but a girlish giggle.

Dean joined her laughter while Castiel could not even pretend to relax – not while Alastair observed Dean with an almost hungry expression.

As soon as Lilith and Alastair were gone, Dean looked at Castiel apologetically.

“I am sorry for that.”

“Not your fault. And it might be a good opportunity to sniff around when I am with Alastair and Naomi,” Castiel himself noted he did not sound very convincing. Mostly because he dreaded to be in a room with only Naomi and Alastair – he couldn’t say whom he disliked more.

“Well, I doubt you will find any hard evidence against two omegas. But maybe they will spill something important about their mates. Both Dick and Lilith seem to be out of town quite often.”

“Or maybe you will be surprised. Maybe it turns out that Naomi is the killer and her perfect-omega-attitude just an act. And Alastair helped her clean the murder scenes afterwards. He _is_ good at cleaning, you know,” Castiel added, picking up Lilith’s words from before.

Dean frowned. “I seriously don’t understand how anyone could allow another person to talk to you like that. I can’t say I like this Alastair – but why one wouldn’t get divorced from an alpha like Lilith right away puzzles me.”

“A lot of omegas have been taught this is the way of life since they were born, Dean. Some simply don’t know better, don’t know they could make a life of their own. And it is very hard to leave someone when you have absolutely nowhere to go.”

“You can always go to the police. Press charges.” Dean sounded so sure that this was the obvious solution.

“And then? You know as well as I that in most cases the alphas don’t get arrested, and then the situation is often worse than before for the omega – who have no own money, no education, never worked a day in their life. And are practically forced to stay with their alphas after calling the cops on them.”

“But there are other options, an omega house for example, or you can get a restraining order, or… maybe, when this is all done, we can come back and tell them about their rights if their alphas are dicks… what?”

Castiel had not noticed he had started to smile at the alpha. He just hoped his admiration was not too obvious in his eyes. Even though he did not agree it was as easy as Dean made it sound, he loved how the alpha was convinced there was a way out. And he loved the alpha’s natural impulse to do something, the right thing.

“Nothing. Shall we go? We are late as it is.”

 

>><< 

 

Dinner with Cain turned out to be a lot more pleasant than either Dean or Castiel had anticipated. Surprisingly, most of the time the alphas had not shared war stories, but Cain had explained about his bees. A topic that Castiel found extremely interesting, and Cain suggested they should come over during daytime, so he could show Castiel his beehives.

“I am always glad for visitors. You know, without any family left.”

“You and your mate had no children?”

“No, unfortunately we were not blessed that way. It did not bother me while my Colette was still alive, but honestly, I would love to have some grandchildren running around these days. But maybe there will soon be children playing in _your_ garden.”

Castiel blushed, and even Dean looked sheepishly to his empty plate.

“I am sorry, I don’t mean to pry, but don’t wait until it is too late.”

In the slightly awkward silence that followed Cain’s words, Castiel stood up and started to clear the table.

“Oh no, Castiel, you are my guest. Please, let it be.”

“He doesn’t mind.”

Dean’s words felt like ice water. The evening had been so nice, Castiel had almost forgotten they only played a role. For the last two hours, he had felt like he and his mate, Dean Winchester, visited a nice neighbour to share dinner with. That was how relaxed the atmosphere had felt during the last few hours.

Now, Cain frowned at Dean but did not comment further. Castiel put the plates into the dishwasher while he had to admit he liked their neighbour. He was especially impressed that the alpha had not separated from his mate when they did not have any children – usually, the alpha wanted an heir and if that didn’t happen, the omega was blamed, and you just looked for another one. Especially fifty years ago. But Cain had stayed with his mate and obviously still mourned her.

When Castiel returned, both alphas looked at him funnily – but he could not detect what they were thinking. Cain seemed concerned while Dean looked almost amused.

As soon as they were back at their home, Castiel asked: “What have you been talking about while I was in the kitchen?”

Dean laughed. “You did pick up on that, didn’t you? Cain told me he had seen Lucifer sniffing around the house today. But he did not want to tell me in front of you, so your fragile nature would not be disturbed.”

“Oh? Did you tell him that we have three guns in the house and I know how to use them?” Castiel asked while he put the rest of dessert into the refrigerator. Dean had followed him to the kitchen.

“No, that must have slipped my mind. But he also told me that Lucifer liked to prowl around the whole village, like a dog marking his territory. Cain does not think he will ever _do_ something – more that he enjoys spreading rumours and that I should not listen to everything I might hear.” Dean grinned. “He also said that I am a very lucky man and that I should treat you well, because any alpha would be glad to have you.”

Castiel scoffed, trying to hide how touched he was by those words. He turned around and nearly bumped into Dean who was standing a little closer than he had expected.

“And I agreed whole-heartedly.” Dean took a step forward until they almost touched.

“I am sure you did.” Castiel fidgeted at the hem of his shirt and looked to the floor. He felt a soft hand on his cheek, just for a brief second, and looked back up at Dean, who examined him with an almost guarded expression. When he spoke, there was a hint of Alpha in his voice, but he sounded only gentle. Castiel had not known it could be like that.

“Yeah, I do. You are brave and smart and beautiful. And you handle this whole undercover situation with a lot more composure than any of us could have ever hoped for. I know that your part of this job is a whole lot more difficult than mine. And I am glad Jody asked you to do this. Even if I seemed … reluctant in the beginning. I am really glad I am stuck here with you.” Dean looked at him with warm eyes, and Castiel felt like he could count the alpha’s freckles from his position. Then, Dean’s whole body seemed to twitch, and he blinked twice before he added: “I mean, I love Donna, but I don’t know how I would have handled her perkiness at seven in the morning.” Dean cleared his throat. “Now, how about we watch another episode of Firefly?”

Castiel nodded, still dumbstruck at Dean’s words, his mind trying to sort through everything the alpha had just said.

“Then why don’t you go and switch on the TV while I make you your tea.”

Castiel walked into the living room, still not trusting his voice. Moments later, Dean sat down on the couch beside him and handed him the cup of lemon verbena Castiel liked to drink before he went to bed. He had a feeling that the alpha had suggested on making it as sort of reparation for his actions earlier that night – and Castiel was grateful for the gesture. He might know that the neglect Dean showed towards him in company was just an act, but he liked to be reminded it was not the alpha’s true nature nonetheless.

Even though Castiel usually enjoyed the show Dean had recently introduced him to, tonight he could hardly concentrate on the plot. Since their first night, Castiel had not been so aware of the proximity they were in, almost touching on the sofa. And Dean’s scent was getting to his head, as much as the alpha’s words from before. He felt so giddy that he was sure Dean would notice.

The episode had hardly ended when Castiel hurriedly excused himself, faking fatigue and not watching the news with Dean like he usually did. When he was under the shower, Castiel could not stop the pictures running through his head: Dean in his perfect suit, Dean’s dominant posture while he was talking to Lilith, the honest smiles at Cain’s dinner table. How close he had been to Castiel in the kitchen. And before he knew what he was doing, his fingers had wandered to his backside and into his hole, teasing his sweet spot while the warm water ran down his body. A few minutes later, he came with a loud cry.

He was glad Dean was not yet upstairs when he returned to the bedroom, because he did not know how he could’ve looked the alpha in the eyes right now. He pulled the covers up and dimmed the light, hoping the guilt he felt would not be noticeable in his scent. What would the alpha think if he knew Castiel had just pleasured himself to thoughts of him?

When Dean came up half an hour later, the omega pretended to be asleep already.

It was only sometime in the middle of the night that Castiel woke up, his mind finally catching up.

Dean had called him beautiful.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will cover a time period of about a month. I hope the time stamps are not too disruptive.

**SIX**

 

It happened for the first time right after Lilith’s party.

Castiel woke up in the middle of the night, feeling happy and warm and safe. It took him a while to realise where that feeling came from: He was lying on his side, facing the door to the balcony, and Dean was right behind him; the alpha’s chest pressed against Castiel’s back, and an arm had stolen itself around the omega’s waist. Dean seemed to be fast asleep, maybe having advanced subconsciously towards the omega in response to his distraught scent. And Castiel did not dare to move. Instead, he relished in the feeling of safety and warmth.

The day before had exhausted him to the core. Spending over two hours in a kitchen with no other company than Naomi and Alastair had been anything but fun – those two had quickly become Castiel’s least favourite omegas in Little Heaven for a reason. And even when he had been joking a few days ago, he was ready to believe those two could go on a killing spree. To Castiel, Alastair was still scary as hell, even though he hardly said anything at all during the whole afternoon, and Naomi might just eagerly punish any omega who was misbehaving with a painful death. But apart from the fact that she would never touch a precious alpha, there was another fact that made Castiel’s theory of the double-omega-murder-act very unlikely: The two detested each other. Probably even more than Castiel did.

The good news was, they were so focused on their contempt for each other that they left Castiel alone for most of the time. Naomi did not even seem to notice how Castiel teared up as he chopped the onions – otherwise, she would have undoubtedly pointed out his dilettantism. But it was still a painful afternoon in which Castiel tried to make polite conversation while Naomi constantly reprimanded Alastair for doing this or that wrong. Castiel might have sympathised with the man if he had not kept glaring at him – as though it was Castiel’s fault that Naomi was concentrating her condescendence on him alone. Yep, Alastair was definitely able to kill someone. But like most omegas in Little Heaven, he had no car, probably not even a driver’s licence, and it was hard to believe his alpha would not notice if he sneaked out at night to attack someone. And how would he even know which ones to attack? Not to mention that even though he seemed to be quite strong – he would hardly be able to compete with a male alpha. Also: Who would voluntarily invite that man into their home?

After he had silently suffered in the kitchen for over an hour, Castiel excused himself to the bathroom. He took the opportunity to _lose his way_ and followed an instinct to the main bedroom. He hoped he would get a more thorough impression of Lilith and her mate in their most private quarters. From what he had seen so far, their relationship was not exactly heart-warming and especially Lilith did not seem to have a high opinion of her mate.

As he stepped over the threshold, Castiel felt a rush of adrenaline. He tried to think of Dean, and how casually the alpha would snoop around, excuse always ready on his lips in case he got caught. But Castiel was not half as relaxed, and his heart beat so loud he was scared he would not even hear anyone following him upstairs over the drumming sound.

He quickly looked around the bedroom, feeling a mixture of guilt and fear. The room was dark, the blinds halfway down, and Castiel needed a moment to adapt his eyes. The sheets were a dark red satin that looked good enough, but Castiel had never liked the material on a bed. It was just sweaty and stuck too much to the skin. He was a bit surprised with the overall picture – judging from Lilith’s usual wardrobe he had almost expected a pink room with lots of ponies on the wall or something like that. Not this seductive den that looked like it was an arranged setting for a porn movie.

Castiel stopped to listen for any noise in the house again before he opened a large closet – and nearly fainted. He had seen sex toys before – hell, he brought some himself in case a heat hit him – but the sight before him was just crazy. The whole closet was full of them, tidily ordered, and some of the stuff he would not even know how to use, or where.

There was especially a large collection of dildos and vibrators, and Castiel did not even want to contemplate who of the two used them, Lilith or Alastair.

Unlike Dean.

When Castiel came home to change for the evening, he told Dean what he had found – with a very red face – and the alpha started laughing like a maniac. He obviously did not find it half as shocking as Castiel, only amusing.

“And who do you think has such a preference for dildos? Lilith or Alastair?”

“Since I doubt it has anything to do with the case, it is really none of my business.”

But despite his words, Castiel was just a little bit curious. Relationships between female alphas and male omegas were rare – and often frowned upon; even more so than the ones between two women, which were considered improper simply because they would not result in children. Only two alphas or two omegas in a relationship together would provoke more broadside.

Usually, female alphas settled for betas. Male omegas did have the same sexual characteristics as any other men, but they were usually smaller and considered not satisfying enough. Not to mention that most female alphas would probably find it degrading to be penetrated by a mere omega. On the other side, most omegas preferred to be tied by a knot. Castiel himself was only truly attracted to alpha men.

But he did not like to dwell too much on those kinds of things. As long as people were happy, they should mate whomever they wanted. Just because he had a preference did not mean everyone else had to think, or feel, alike.

But he did have to make an effort to not think about Sam and Eileen. There was even a wicked part in his mind that considered asking Dean about them. He was sure it would wipe the smile right off the alpha’s face, having to think about his brother’s sex life.

When the couple left their house, Dean still chuckling and making suggestive jokes about their hosts, they waved at Cain, who was just getting into his old truck. Obviously, their neighbour was not invited to Lilith’s party – and Castiel wondered what other plans he might have. But as Dean’s hand grazed over his own for a brief second, the omega forgot about their neighbour. It had been a few days since Dean had called him beautiful – and Castiel tried really hard to not think about that any more. He had convinced himself by now that the alpha had only wanted to compliment how Castiel was coping with their unusual work situation, nothing more. He had probably not even noticed that he had called him beautiful, among other things. And he definitely had not repeated anything of the like since their evening at Cain’s.

Dinner itself was nearly as stressful as the preparations had been, to Castiel at least. Just the night before had been a Full Moon and every alpha in the room – ten of them – seemed edgy. Castiel wondered how anyone would want to host a party on a day like that – especially since the present alphas were neither close friends nor family but merely acquaintances, and thus the impulse to show off was just that much stronger. More than once did Castiel fear a fight might break out. Usually, Crowley was in the centre of it, teasing every man around him as much as he could without giving a formal challenge. His favourite victims seemed to be Lucifer and Dick Roman.

Dean had hurriedly picked up a glass to drink or rubbed a hand over his mouth once or twice – and only after a while did Castiel realise the alpha was trying to hide a smirk. Castiel frowned at his partner; he was enjoying Crowley’s antiques way too much. But in the end, it was probably better that Dean was laughing than thinking about joining in the whole posture game. Lilith seemed to enjoy the taunting comments of the short alpha as well if the eager glint in her eyes was anything to go by. She looked different that night – not at all like a young school girl but all seductive alpha in her black dress that hugged her body tightly.

But even if he had tried to reprimand Dean for his inappropriate humour with a subtle hand on the alpha’s knee, Castiel had to oppress his own chuckle of disbelief when the alphas left the omegas after dinner, to drink some scotch in the parlour. Castiel could have sworn that this old-fashioned separating-by-gender was not a thing anymore, but obviously he was wrong. There was one unfortunate beta mate in their group, and Castiel might have pitied the man, just for the misfortune of sticking out so much, remembering how that felt from police school – but there was just too much of a sneer on Bartholomew’s face to make Castiel feel sorry for him. He was not upset he was the only beta in the group. He was outraged he had to sit with the omegas instead of the alphas.

Unsurprisingly, it was Naomi who talked the most in their small group, congratulating herself to her cooking skills and then telling Alastair to go and get some sweet vine from the kitchen. It was his house after all.

Without another word, Alastair stood to do as she had asked, and Castiel, who was sitting the closest to the door, could hear him muttering under his breath:

“Yeah, and maybe afterwards, I’ll fuck you with my big fat cock.”

For some reason, that sentence haunted Castiel the most after a truly horrible day while he lay awake in bed, trying to fall asleep for hours and hours. Dean did not seem to share his problems. He had seemed a bit tense when they returned home, and Castiel realised the Full Moon might have made it harder for him to stay relaxed than he had noticed during dinner, but the alpha’s breathing became even only minutes after he had laid down on the bed.

Eventually, Castiel had fallen in a light slumber as well, waking up in the middle of the night with Dean wrapped around him. This should have made it impossible to fall asleep again, but on the contrary, with a peaceful smile, Castiel’s body and mind relaxed instantly.

The next day, as usual, Dean was already in the bathroom when he woke up.

And like that, a new routine was born in the Dean-Castiel-household: They would go to bed, fall asleep, both on their own sides – but sometime during the night, their limbs entangled. Every time, Castiel would wake up with Dean wrapped around him, or his own head had somehow landed on Dean’s chest, arms hugging the alpha’s waist. He then would hurry to his own side, hoping that Dean had not noticed.

And he really had no idea if Dean did. Because the alpha always seemed fast asleep when Castiel woke up in the dark room. And maybe he really did not know, maybe he woke up in the morning, both men lying on their own sides again. It was possible. And Castiel could not ask, could he?

So, he chose to simply enjoy his middle-of-the-night-bliss.

 

>><< 

 

Other than their nightly cuddle-sessions no one talked about, they started into a nice routine that felt much like a real relationship. They touched a lot more often now, though it always seemed coincidental. During the day, Castiel cleaned and shopped, talked to Tessa or Meg – and if he was unfortunate, to Naomi. There were still butterflies dancing in his stomach every time Dean returned home, and he had started to enjoy simply watching TV on their couch a lot more than he would have ever guessed. And every time Castiel might have started to feel overwhelmed with the whole old-fashioned viewpoint around him, Dean insisted on making dinner, or Castiel would get a call from Sam or Charlie, reminding him in a way mere words could not that he was here to do a job. That he was not just a compliant mate, but an officer of the law, here for another reason than just pleasing his alpha.

So far, they had not learned anything too useful. Sure, they had their suspects – Dean was still convinced that Lucifer was hiding something, and Castiel shared his dislike wholeheartedly. But he also thought there was something wrong with Crowley. The man just seemed to enjoy it too much to irritate other alphas and seemed oddly fearless about it. There was also his mate, Meg. Castiel had formed some sort of friendship with the woman, the closest he had in this village anyway, and he felt sorry for her. Whenever he was alone with her, she was snarky and full of sardonic humour – but she also seemed genuinely afraid of her alpha. Whenever Castiel saw them together, he could hardly believe the cowering woman was the same person as his friend.

But still, he was very glad for her. She made his days bearable. Especially the times with Naomi. She might not be as outspoken while the older omega was around, but the not-so-friendly backbiting afterwards counterbalanced all the hours spent with Naomi. Even though a part of Castiel envied the older omega – Naomi had a talent for coaxing people into doing exactly as she wanted. This way, Castiel had already baked five pies for kindergarden-picknicks, volunteered to clean the church every other week, and even started to knit a scarf for her veteran program. A scarf, though, was really all he could do. He very much hoped Dean would act the supporting mate and buy it. Or no one would, and then Naomi would just have all the more reason to complain.

Castiel had tried to use the time he had to spend with Naomi to get some information about her mate, but she refused to say anything other about Mr Roman than what a perfect alpha he was. But at least she was a helpful source on some of the other alphas in Little Heaven as she gossiped about them quite a bit: Crowley, unlike her own mate, was a horrible example of an alpha, and once she even saw him lurking outside Lilith’s house. Cain would sometimes pack a bag and be gone for a day or two, not telling anyone where he went – and even his housekeeper kept quiet about it. Of course, that irritated Naomi, who seemed to take it personal that she was uninformed about anything that went on in her home town. According to Naomi, everyone wondered why Lilith did not divorce from Alastair – since he was just useless, and the alpha obviously was more interested in alpha men, or so she had heard. But her parents had arranged the mating and obviously, it was just good upbringing that she refused to leave her mate. Naomi seemed a bit divided about Lilith – she apparently respected her as an alpha, but the indication she might be more interested in Lucifer than her omega mate did not fit into her worldview. She was more definite about Billy though, who just did not belong in a respectable neighbourhood like Little Heaven, and who had completely ruined the nice and compliable girl Tessa once had been.

Another phone call with Sam told Castiel that the detective was still focused on Azazel as a possible culprit, and neither Dean nor Castiel could disagree. So Dean even once _accidentally_ broke the sprinkler so they had to call the janitor service. Neither man was surprised that Azazel came personally. He was still acting too slick and compliant, but that was nothing they could hold against him. After he had repaired the sprinkler however, he had looked more than a little bit suspicious – and Dean assumed he might have guessed it had been broken on purpose.

Three weeks into their undercover mission, Dean and Castiel hosted a barbeque. Unlike Lilith’s party, Castiel had insisted they would invite their neighbours as close to a New Moon as possible. It meant everyone would be a lot more laid-back. And thus, on a Saturday night, they had everyone they assumed capable of killing innocent couples gathered in their garden.

What a lovely thought.

The small party was almost over, most guests already starting to say their goodbyes. There was Lucifer – even though Dean had tried to talk Castiel out of inviting him. The alpha obviously did not want the CEO of _CagedPain_ anywhere near his home – undercover mission or not. Lucifer was currently talking to Dick Roman, and not for the first time that night, Castiel was glad the New Moon had just passed two nights ago. Those two seemed to be an explosive combination. But Naomi stayed at her alpha’s side and stroked over his arm like a good omega should. Of course, there were also Crowley and Meg, as well as Dr Styne and his mate Olivia. The physician made Castiel’s toes curl – and not in a good-way. Just as Alastair continued to do. Recently, Meg had told him some gossip about disappearing pets – and how she was convinced the physician had something to do with that. And even though Castiel believed in the innocent-until-proven-guilty-idea, he could easily believe it. But Tessa, who had been shopping with them that day, had just laughed it off and said it was an old rumour. And no pets had gone missing for the last two years or so.

Inviting Lilith and Alastair had been a bit of a discussion as well – since Dean proclaimed the murderer would hardly be a woman. And even though Castiel was inclined to agree – she would have to secure two men at the same time, and the omega had been raped before he died – he did not want to eliminate her completely. Strength could often be balanced with cleverness. And the alphas had been drugged, at least in two cases. There was also that large dildo collection Castiel could not stop thinking about – maybe the victims had been penetrated with an artificial cock. Of course, there was also the possibility of two murderers working together – and Lilith and Lucifer seemed to be surprisingly close. Castiel had told Dean as much.

“And by the way, have you told Captain Mills that you don’t think a woman could be capable of overpowering a male alpha? I am sure she would love to hear about that.”

Dean had scoffed at Castiel’s question and answered with a smirk: “Are you insane? I am not stupid. Or suicidal. But I just can’t picture two alphas doing this together. The violence might be too much and result in fighting...”

“Not if they are close. A couple, for example.”

In the end, they had needed to invite the female alpha anyway – since they had also been at her dinner. And right now, Lilith was talking to Dean, showing off her blindingly white teeth once more.

Meg stood next to her mate and shot him love-sick glances every now and then while he talked to Dr Styne’s oldest son. Castiel was pretty sure her adoring looks were all fake. But she did not have to put in much effort anyway, because Crowley hardly seemed to notice her. And the show was mostly for Naomi’s sake. She had told Meg that she should make more of an effort to keep her mate satisfied. Like dressing to his liking and taking care of his more carnal needs after he came back from his frequent business trips. Otherwise, he might just look elsewhere for satisfaction. Right. The old blame-the-omega-for-alpha’s-infidelity-excuse.

But not all of their guests were creepy. There were Billy and Tessa as well – it might have looked weird to not invite them since Castiel was forming a friendship with the omega. For the same reason, they had invited Cain. And to Castiel’s surprise, he was near Billy and Tessa for most of the evening. For some reason, Castiel had expected the old man would have prejudice against two mated women.

Unfortunately, they had not been able to invite Azazel – since it would have seemed too weird to have the janitor among their guests. But neither Dean nor Castiel had yet deleted him from their list of suspects. Especially because Castiel had seen him twice in Little Heaven, no obvious reason, not knocking on anyone’s door, just walking down the street.

Castiel had just stepped out of the house and handed out little packages of left-over deserts. He was walking up to Alastair with a smile that probably made him look a little crazy. The omega was standing at the far end of the garden, watching Dean and Lilith talk at the gate. He looked almost--- jealous. And as Castiel’s eyes followed his gaze, he had to make an effort to not feel a hard pinch of jealousy himself. Lilith just laughed with her head thrown back and a hand on Dean’s arm. He was reminded of Naomi’s comment that she preferred alpha men. Castiel tried to swallow down his frustration, because even _if_ Dean liked other alphas, Castiel knew he did not want Lilith. And of course, he had no right to be jealous to begin with since Dean was just his partner in a case and not any other way. No matter how much he cuddled with Castiel during sleep.

“Here, Al, I hope you had a nice evening.” Castiel handed over the pie, hoping his voice sounded neutral. But then he could not stop himself from frowning; tonight, Alastair reeked even more than usual – Castiel thought he could detect lust and anger in the atrocious smell.

“Thank you, Castiel, you have been a perfect host,” Alastair growled out with a hint of envy in his voice. Castiel just nodded and finished his rounds, quickly moving away from Alastair, handing out pie to the other omegas. When he was back in the kitchen to wash his hands – and take a well-earned breath of air – he heard a noise behind him.

He turned around, assuming it would most likely be Naomi who’d tell him he should have made bigger or smaller slices of pie – and stopped in his movement when he saw Dick Roman, standing only a few feet away from him.

“Oh, Castiel, I am so sorry. I must have gotten the wrong door, I was looking for the bathroom.”

Now, Castiel did not consider himself the best judge of character, but that was definitely a lie. Maybe he detected it so fast, because he had done a couple of _I am just looking for the bathroom_ -stunts himself the last couple of weeks, or maybe it was the fact that instead of turning around and leaving, Mr Roman just kept walking slowly towards Castiel. There was a predatory glint in his eyes, and the omega tried to swallow down his uprising fear. He was in his own house, with a bunch of people only a few feet away – it was not like the alpha would do anything in this situation. But still, Castiel’s hands twitched nervously, and he somehow hoped Dean would magically sense his discomfort and come to his rescue. The role of submissive omega did not allow him to stand up for himself after all.

“Now, Mr Roman, you were the last person I expected in a kitchen. Do you consider taking on cooking and asked for Castiel’s assistance…?”

Castiel had never thought he would be happy to see Crowley, but there it was.

“Crowley. What are you doing here?” Dick Roman did not seem to feel the same kind of joy as Castiel.

“Well, I just came from the loo and wanted to give Castiel a shout that we would be leaving. You know, from a safe distance, so Dean will not get any ideas. Let me tell you, he is the jealous type.”

Crowley kept looking at Mr Roman until he admitted weakly: “Well, like you, I was on my way to the bathroom.”

“Oh, but this is the kitchen, you see. Easily mistaken for the bathroom of course.” Dick Roman looked at Crowley with anger in his eyes, but the short man did not seem daunted. “Now, since I have already found my way around, let me assist you, so Castiel can go out and say goodbye to his guests. Before Dean murders any of us.”

Over two hours later, Castiel finally could roll down on the bed. He shuddered at the thought of how many people he detested might have been in his house tonight. Somehow that unsettled him deeply – and he wanted to cleanse the air itself.  But when Dean joined him in bed, lying down already quite a bit closer than during their first nights, he managed to blur out all unwelcome thoughts and concentrated on the alpha’s calming scent.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel and Dean had moved to Little Heaven well over a month ago, without any noteworthy progress.

It was Friday, and a Full Moon. Dean had been restless for days now – and Castiel was not sure whether it was their case or the moon getting to him. He knew Dean was a lot more impatient than him – Castiel did not mind waiting too much, but Dean always needed to do something, to keep himself occupied. He had already been untypically irritable during breakfast that day and came back home from work surprisingly late for the last workday of the week. Castiel realised he could detect the alpha’s bad mood just from the way he parked the car.

They expected Sam and Eileen for dinner, and Castiel hoped the couple could bring Dean out of his blues. Even though he thought he had become quite good at reading the alpha, he probably was still no match for his brother, and maybe Sam even knew how to brighten Dean’s mood. Not that Castiel could not sympathise. When they had started the operation, it had sounded easy enough. Castiel would find some evidence in his snooping around during daytime, or someone would outright attack Dean, or let it slip that they had known the victims. But as it was, they endured the company of their neighbours during dinner parties, church visits or social clubs – and were still no closer to finding the culprit. And more than once had they questioned if the killer even lived in Little Heaven to begin with. Jody once called and suggested they should stay only over the next New Moon, and then maybe, abort the mission. Castiel thought she was about as frustrated as they were since none of the other evidence the team was working on had brought them one step closer to catching the killer.

When Dean came home Friday afternoon, he wordlessly went upstairs and changed his clothes. As he came back down again, Castiel had a hard time stopping himself from stepping towards Dean and stroking over his arm or some other form of physical contact. His inner omega urged him to do something to calm the alpha in front of him. It was those moments when Castiel was really glad he had chosen Dean as his partner. No matter how much he had been scared that Dean would find out about his crush or how embarrassing it could get if he had suddenly slicked in the alpha’s presence, especially during his marking bites – he knew Dean was the only alpha in the whole police force he would not be scared of in that kind of mood. Even if Dean seemed a lot more on edge today than he usually was, Castiel knew it had nothing to do with him. Knew that Dean would never voluntarily hurt Castiel just to get the edge off.

The omega pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge and handed it to Dean. Their hands touched longer than necessary, not for the first time, and Dean let out a breath that sounded like he had been holding it for a long time.

“Hey! Do I look that bad?” When Dean finally spoke, his voice sounded more humorous than Castiel had expected.

“Well, we will be getting visitors anyway. Also, the vegetable lasagne is already in the oven and I don’t want to hear you complain that there will be no steak tonight. So, enjoy your beer.”

It had started as a joke a few weeks ago – Castiel thought it was not healthy that Dean’s choice of beverage was only coffee, beer or something stronger. So he had tried to coerce the alpha into drinking soda, water or juice occasionally, and by now Dean had even stopped complaining when those were his only options at dinner. In company though, Castiel was less strict.

The two men smiled at each other, but before Dean could answer, the doorbell rang.

Dean opened and was met by Dick Roman, who held a bottle of vine in his hands – expensive to be sure.

“Dick? What a surprise,” Dean said in a less than warm tone of voice. The alpha’s smile did not falter however, and not for the first time did Castiel wonder if he even realised how much joy Dean took from addressing the man in that form.

“Dean, Castiel. I am sorry for intruding on you without notice. But I saw you coming home and I thought to just say hello, chat a little with the two of you.”

Dean just stared at Dick Roman for ten whole seconds until the other man’s smile finally wavered. Only then did Dean answer: “I am sorry, but that won’t be possible. We are already engaged tonight.”

Dean’s voice was cold, and Castiel knew exactly why. Of course, he had told the alpha about Mr Roman’s search for the bathroom two weeks ago, as well as the fact that Castiel had expected the alpha would’ve basically jumped him had Crowley not interrupted. Castiel had felt like he needed to tell Dean about the incident, because it might be important for their operation – but the omega had not been prepared for Dean’s rage. Since then, Castiel was always afraid Dean might just punch Dick in the face. Not that Castiel would not fully enjoy that.

“Well…. That is a shame. Maybe next time.” Dick’s eyes graced over Castiel’s form for a moment. “I was thinking… maybe we could all get to know each other better. I hear you like to hunt, Dean, at least you told Dr Styne as much. I have a lucrative lodge in the middle of the Purgatory Forest. Maybe you and Castiel would like to accompany me sometime. There are some rarities to hunt down in that forest – and maybe, in exchange, I can get to know a little exotic possession of yours.”

Castiel had no time to be repulsed by the alpha – even though he had a fairly good idea what he meant by _exotic possession_. Male omegas were rare, even if not so rare to call them exotic, he thought. But Castiel was occupied with more important matters – his mate gave off a dangerous scent, and it was probably only seconds before he would attack. Dean’s whole body tensed, and Castiel immediately gripped his arm. It might have looked like a calming gesture from a mate, but Castiel was fully prepared to hold Dean back with all the physical strength he had in case the alpha chose to charge at the other man. Not that he would be a match for an enraged alpha.

“Alpha. Alpha, please, come back inside.”

Castiel was glad when, three long seconds later, Dean shut the door in Roman’s face without another word.

But Dean’s jaw was still tight when he leaned against the front door from the inside, Castiel still holding onto his arm.

“Dean? Dean.”

“Yeah, I’m all right. This is just so frustrating. That is a total asshat out there and there is nothing we can do.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Assuming he can just trade you in… or any omega! Like a thing.”

Castiel had started to stroke over Dean’s arm, and for a moment, he was reminded of the day they had been in nearly the same position, just the other way around. The day he had thought Dean would kiss him, after their first encounter with Crowley. Just like that, Castiel’s eyes wandered to Dean’s soft lips, and he licked his own automatically. His eyes widened as Dean mimicked the action. Castiel searched for Dean’s gaze, but the alpha simply stared at Castiel’s mouth. And then, ever so slowly, giving Castiel the chance to turn away a thousand times, Dean leaned forwards and brushed his lips over Castiel’s in a featherlight touch. Since Castiel had still not moved away, Dean repeated the movement two, three times until the omega lost patience, and he crushed their lips together in a real kiss. Castiel pushed the alpha further into the door and nipped at his lips until he opened his mouth to Castiel’s tongue. With a happy sigh, Castiel pushed in and tasted Dean. A moment, or maybe an hour, later, the alpha gripped Castiel’s shoulders and turned them around until Castiel had his back to the door. Dean pulled back a little, mouthing over the other man’s neck and nipped at his mark, then he moved back up and claimed Castiel’s mouth. The omega could feel his whole body go pliant under the alpha’s attention. He felt a hand over his hip, then in his hair and at the back of his neck while Dean teased his tongue in and out of his mouth.

Goodness, that man could kiss. Soon, Castiel was only standing up with the help of the door behind and the alpha in front of him. Otherwise, he would have probably melted to the floor.

After a while, Dean let his forehead rest against Castiel’s and let out a low chuckle that held a little growl underneath.

“God, I have wanted to do this for a long time.”

There was a question somewhere in those words. It took Castiel a few seconds to figure it out, but then he replied with a wide smile: “Me too.”

Dean reacted with the most beautiful smile and then he sucked lightly at Castiel’s bottom lip, until he nipped and pecked his way down the omega’s throat again. Castiel had closed his eyes and revelled in the happy scents coming off of him and Dean alike.

Until the doorbell rang and both men twitched like they had been struck by lightning. Dean even jerked away from Castiel, glaring at the door as if it was the enemy. But then he just shrugged and set his hands on both sides of Castiel’s head, leaning in again.

“Whoever it is will go away soon.”

Dean still had a dopey smile on his face, and Castiel saw no reason to disagree. Until he remembered and yelled out as loud as a whisper would allow: “Oh god, Dean, it’s Sam! Sam is coming to dinner. With Eileen.”

Suddenly the door behind Castiel felt less solid, knowing that two detectives were standing just mere inches away from them.

Dean blinked a few times, then: “Oh. Yes. Of course.” He stepped back, and rapidly ran his fingers through his hair. Castiel hastily walked to the next mirror – and to his utter horror, he looked exactly how he felt: Like someone who had just enjoyed the kiss of his life. Dean was doing marginally better, at least he did not look as flushed and his hair was relatively in order, so he let the alpha open the door while Castiel hurried to the next bathroom and splashed cold water into his face. It helped, a bit. He then hurried to the kitchen and opened the oven, hoping the lasagne was ready. But the smell of the food would at least overpower any other scents that might linger in the house.

Soon, he stepped into the hall and greeted Sam and Eileen with a wide smile he hoped did not make him look like a lunatic.

“Ah, Castiel, there you are. I hope we are not too early. I feared we had interrupted you in the kitchen,” Sam said as he hugged Castiel, something he had never done before.

“Actually, he said he was afraid we would interrupt you two smooching in the kitchen,” Eileen said with a smirk.

In reaction, everyone laughed – and Castiel was sure his face had turned a very dark shade of pink. Both he and Dean laughed a little bit too long over Eileen’s joke, realised it at the same time, and what followed was a moment of abrupt silence.

Dinner had felt tenser than the last two times they had invited the couple over. Dean and Castiel were determined to not even meet each other’s eyes, the alpha’s laugh was louder than usual, and Castiel cleared his throat every time the conversation paused. Once he had reached for the bread at the same time as Dean, and both men pulled back like they had an electric shock.

Castiel was having a hard time following the conversation, he always thought back to the kiss they had just shared, and he wondered how they would go on from here when Sam and Eileen were gone. Suddenly, doubts came up. Did Dean regret it already? But he had said he had wanted it. But maybe living with an omega who was wearing his mark and his scent was just playing with him. Then there was the Full Moon.

Dean and Eileen insisted to clear away the dishes while Sam kept Castiel company at the dinner table.

“Are you all right, Cas?”

Castiel sighed. “I just wish you all would stop asking me that on a daily basis.”

Sam chose to be amused rather than offended. He chuckled: “Unlike all the other officers, I have lived with Dean the better part of my life, so I know he can be exasperating.”

“Well, he isn’t. He has been perfect. I mean, he has been perfectly behaving himself,” Castiel corrected weakly.

Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I am sorry, but you both just seemed kind of tense when we arrived.”

Castiel decided he would best go with half the truth: “Just before you came, Dick Roman knocked at the door and proposed to Dean he could spend a nice weekend at his lodge if Dick can spend a nice weekend in my bed.” Sam’s eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Castiel added: “It is nothing, really. It just irritated us both. Then there is the Full Moon and Dean is…” Castiel searched for a word that would not have Sam worrying again “… over-protective.”

There was a moment of silence, then Sam took a deep breath, not at all subtle, and asked: “Have you been in heat yet?”

“No, I haven’t. And like I said before, my doctor thinks it might take months. That is quite common.”

“I just wanted you to know you can call me anytime, day or night. But I don’t want to be too pushy. You know, if you’d rather go through it on your own, that is all right as well,” he said with a big hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Just know I’d be there for you.”

Half an hour later, Sam and Eileen walked to their car, followed by Dean and Castiel, who came out with them to say goodbye. Lucifer was just walking up the street. The look he gave Sam made Castiel’s hackles raise. It was even worse than how the alpha looked at him. As he was right next to them, the alpha said something to Eileen, but since she was not looking in his direction she did not notice him talking. Sam nudged her subtly, and only then she turned around and greeted Lucifer. They engaged in a short conversation, but Castiel and Dean were too far away to hear what they were talking about. Lucifer smiled politely and eventually waved them goodbye as they drove off.

Then he stepped to Castiel and Dean who still stood in the open door.

“Well, Dean, I congratulate you. You have such a charming mate _and_ a handsome brother. Smart move to mate him off to a defect female. So you still have control over him. I wish I had done the same with my younger brothers. But then again, neither of them were as pretty as your omegas.”

Castiel had been able to appease Dean once that day – he was not so sure he could do it again.

Especially not with the way Lucifer looked at the omega right now – just like Dick had hours earlier. Castiel still wanted to stop Dean from doing something foolish.

And then he made a mistake.

Instinctively, Castiel stepped between Dean and Lucifer and laid a hand on his mate’s chest, trying to hold him back, maybe not by force, but still as insistently as possible.

“Dean, go back inside. Let him be.”

A second mistake.

Dean realised it before Castiel did – despite the fact that Castiel could have sworn he was the more level-headed at the moment. But Castiel Smith, mate of the alpha Dean, living in Little Heaven, would have never stepped between two alphas on the verge for a fight. And he would have definitely not called his mate by his given name in that situation, much less try to give him an order. To make the situation worse, Castiel was pretty sure Crowley was watching them from his window. He held his breath for a second.

And then Dean did the only thing he could do in this moment. He let his Alpha drip into his voice more clearly than Castiel had ever heard before.

“Go upstairs and wait in the bedroom for me, Castiel.”

The omega shook, but his feet started moving before his mind could catch up. He had seldom heard so much force before. He was so shaken with it, he hardly thought about what would happen between Dean and Lucifer now that he was inside the house and up the stairs. He felt humiliated. Knowing that at least Lucifer and Crowley assumed he would be waiting for his punishment right now.

He looked at his shaking hands as he sat on the bed and tried to argue with himself that that was not actually the case. Dean was playing a role. But the force in his voice had still unsettled Castiel, the happy feeling after their kiss almost forgotten by now. Eventually, he had to lean forwards, head between his knees, trying to breathe regularly, pushing all thoughts of Uriel away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, don’t yell at me. I mean, the chapter had to end at some point, right? ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be abroad for work next week – and probably won’t find the time to edit. So next update will take a bit longer (and/or be shorter) than the last ones. :)  
> Thank you all for your kudos and comments – every single one makes me happy-dance. :-D

**SEVEN**

He did not know how much time had passed until he heard Dean’s footsteps approaching quickly. It sounded like the alpha was taking three steps at a time and he seemed too much out of breath, considering the short distance, when he finally stepped into the bedroom.

“Cas, I…,” Dean started, but Castiel interrupted him at the same time: “I hope you did not kill him.”

Castiel had tried for a joking tone, in an attempt to hide how rattled he still was. At least he hoped it was a joke.

“No, he is okay. Crowley and Cain stepped in to deflate the situation, or something like that. In the end, I wanted to punch Crowley almost as much as Lucifer – I am not sure that was his plan.” Dean waved the whole thing off dismissively and stood in front of Castiel. “But I was more worried about you anyway.”

The omega did not look up into the alpha’s face. But he could see his hands twitch, like Dean wanted to touch him but didn’t dare. Like he was afraid Castiel would flinch back. And he was probably right. So instead, Dean just hunkered down so their heads were on the same level and Castiel now had to look at him. He saw green eyes full of worry.

“Cas, I am so sorry. I did not want to do this. I shouldn’t have…”

“Yes, you should. We had witnesses. I made a mistake. You could not let it slide. You did the right thing.”

“Well, it sure as hell did not feel like the right thing. I am really sorry, Cas, I wish…”

“Just stop apologising, Dean.” The alpha opened his mouth, but Castiel did not give him the opportunity to say anything as he yelled: “I am not a child! Or stupid. I know why you did it. I’m fine!”

There was a short pause and Castiel almost felt guilty as Dean flinched back. He knew he just reacted like that because he was in fact quite shaken, no matter what he had just proclaimed.

“I just mean, I did not want t…” Dean tried again.

“I get it, Dean, this is all just make-believe. You would do well to remember I know how to use a gun and am no damsel in distress. I might just shoot anyone who threatens me. I will not be forced by an alpha again.” Castiel looked at Dean in shock. He had not meant to say that last bit.

“What do you mean, _again_?”

It took too long for Castiel to answer, but still he tried: “By you. I meant I didn’t want you to…”

“No, you didn’t. Has someone hurt you, Cas?”

Castiel could feel the anger radiating off Dean in waves, so he tried to keep a calm and neutral voice when he said: “That is none of your business.”

“The hell it is! I am your mate!”

Castiel stared at Dean – and the alpha looked just as stunned as he felt.

“I mean… I ah… I better leave you alone now.”

How had this happened? Just a few hours earlier they had been kissing in the hallway. And it had felt glorious. Castiel took a deep breath, and he realised that even though Dean should not have tried to push him, much less yell at him, Castiel was just as much at fault for their argument. Dean was only worried, he could see that.

And Castiel did not want to be alone right now.

Just as the alpha was about to close the door behind him, Castiel said: “Please Dean, stay.”

The words were hardly out of his mouth when Dean was already sitting beside him on the bed, hesitantly taking his hand.

“I am sorry, Cas. I should not have yelled. And you don’t have to tell me anything. Not even if we were actually mated. Which we are not. I know that.”

Castiel’s mouth twitched. “I get confused as well sometimes. And after our little…,” he cleared his throat, “after this afternoon, I can hardly blame you.”

There was a moment of peaceful silence, both men just sitting on the bed, holding hands. Then Castiel took in a deep breath.

“I had this boyfriend, Uriel. We had a great relationship, for about two years. Then… I think he was not as happy with a working omega than he had imagined. Or maybe he had been convinced all along that I would agree to get claimed and have his children after I had finished my ridiculous education. With time, he grew more possessive and tried to persuade me to mate, even though I wasn’t ready.” Castiel paused, leaving out a whole lot that had happened in the last two years of their relationship. The tense atmosphere between the happy moments, his constant fear of a new argument, the condescending comments and his growing reluctance to disagree. “He used his Alpha Voice from time to time.” Dean’s grip on his hand became almost painful. “But I usually could break it off easily enough. If I really didn’t want to do something, he could never make me. Until that last time. We had an argument, something silly, and I talked back. He was really mad, more than I have ever seen before, I think. Then… then he used his Alpha Voice; he told me to go to the bedroom and wait for him. My whole body tensed, and I couldn’t do anything but comply. A moment later I heard the front door. I don’t know why he left, maybe he wanted to cool off. Whatever reason, I am grateful for it.” Castiel let out a shaky breath. “I sat on that bed for ten whole minutes until I was able to break his hold of me. I had never experienced anything like that before and those were the longest ten minutes of my life. I guess it is hard to explain, especially to an alpha – the feeling of being so… helpless.” Dean had started to stroke circles over the back of Castiel’s hands. There was something soothing about that gesture and Castiel was surprised how easy the hard words had left his mouth. “As soon as I could move again, I packed my stuff and was gone before Uriel returned. I have not even seen him since. He texted me quite often in the beginning, claiming he didn’t mean it, that it wouldn’t happen again – but I had heard that often enough, so I ignored him. But I only felt completely free again after I have moved to Greenville about a year later. It helps that I don’t expect to accidentally run into him anymore.”

Dean laid a gentle hand over his shoulder, pulling Castiel towards his chest.

“You should have told me, Cas. So I wouldn’t have made a mistake like that.”

“It wasn’t a mistake, Dean. And Uriel is long in the past. It doesn’t matter. I should be over it by now; it’s been years.”

“Of course it matters. And of course it still rattles you. You’d hardly be human if it didn’t. So, again, I’m sorry. It will not happen again.”

Castiel let out a chuckle that surprised even him, head still comfortably resting against Dean’s broad chest. “Could you do me a favour and just stop apologising? That was really too much for one day.”

“Well, seems to be the only thing I did right today.” Dean moved slightly and suddenly Castiel was very aware of the strong arms around him.

“I don’t know… I think there was something else you did very well today.”

“Yeah, like what?” The alpha scoffed, and Castiel straightened up so his head was not resting against Dean’s chest anymore.

Castiel licked his lips and let his eyes linger on Dean’s mouth for a moment. Just like he had hoped, Dean caught on instantly. His whole body tensed, and his eyes wandered from Castiel’s neck upwards until he met the omega’s gaze.  Before he could move however, Castiel had crawled into his lap, claiming the alpha’s lips without hesitation.

Castiel did not know what had made him so bold – the stress from before or the feeling of relief. Maybe it was the alpha’s protective scent, or just the urge to deflect himself from his painful memories. Whatever it was, right now, it felt wonderful to be so brazen.

For minutes, the two men tasted each other and stroked their hands over each body part they could reach. When Dean pulled back to let them both catch their breath, Castiel stood between the alpha’s legs. He slowly opened his dress shirt, button after button. Dean just sat back and watched him, devouring every piece of exposed skin with his eyes. When Castiel threw the shirt on the floor behind him, Dean had still not moved a muscle, watching him with wide eyes. Just as Castiel started to feel self-conscious, Dean simply raised his arms over his head and smiled at him invitingly. The omega tugged at the hem of Dean’s t-shirt and slowly pulled it upwards, stroking lightly over Dean’s toned body in the process. Soon, the piece of cloth flew to the floor as well, and it was Castiel’s turn to look. It was not the first time he had seen Dean’s naked chest, living together would do that, but it was the first time he got to touch – and that made all the difference.

He let a hand wander over Dean’s arm and shoulder, then over his chest and down to his stomach. The alpha was surprisingly still, just looking up at Castiel. When Castiel moved is hands back up to Dean’s shoulders however, the alpha stroked one palm over his stomach and slowly let it curl around his waist. Dean met Castiel’s gaze, and suddenly there was a playful grin in his eyes that should have given Castiel a warning.

But the omega squeaked out as Dean pulled him down, turning around at the same moment. Now Castiel lay on his back, feet dangling over the edge of the bed, Dean at his side, claiming Castiel’s mouth with a fierceness that hadn’t been there before.

Castiel stroked over Dean’s back, loving how his muscles felt when Dean moved to crawl on top of Castiel. He hitched in a breach as Dean caressed the soft skin on his stomach – and his whole body twitched when a hand lightly stroked over his side.

“Ticklish, are you?”

“No,” Castiel breathed out. He instantly regretted it however, because Dean pressed two fingers into his side that had Castiel let out a mixture of a giggle and a scream.

“Don’t lie to me, baby. That just hurts my feelings.”

But Dean did not look hurt at all as his hands wandered lower, teasing over the skin just above Castiel’s waistband. The omega was breathing heavily by now, and there was the distinct scent of slick in the air. He might have been embarrassed about being aroused so quickly, but he could feel Dean’s growing erection where the alpha’s crotch slowly rubbed over Castiel’s hip. So he guessed he was not the only one who was turned on after just a few minutes of touching.

A second later, Dean’s mouth was on his right nipple while one hand rubbed over the other one. Everything became a bit fuzzy for a few moments – Castiel was sure he had melted into the softness around him, slick pooling into his briefs. He absently stroked over Dean’s torso while he felt the alpha’s teeth lightly scratch up over his neck, soft lips on his ear and then there was the tongue back in his mouth. Sometime during his exploration, Dean’s hands had sneaked into Castiel’s pants, massaging his buttocks in a way that had more slick run out of his hole. When Dean bit ever-so-gently into Castiel’s neck, not deep enough to leave a mark, Castiel lost all patience and his hands tucked at Dean’s jeans, clumsily trying to open his fly. He was fumbling around for a while, let out a frustrated groan, and then finally Dean took pity and pulled down his own jeans along with the underwear in one go. The alpha stood up for a moment to pull off the rest of his clothes completely, and Castiel took the opportunity to stare.

God, was this really happening?

But he did not get time to think about how long he had waited for this (or how often he had pleasured himself in the shower for the last few weeks); Dean was on him again, tugging off his socks playfully, and then pulled off Castiel’s pants along with his briefs until both men were completely naked. Castiel scooted upwards on the bed so he was still lying on his back, but his legs were no longer dangling to the floor.

Dean did a bit of staring as well, but Castiel was not as pleased with the attention as the alpha had seemed. He felt self-conscious – and familiar worries circled around his head. He was too big for an omega, his slick did not smell as sweet as other’s and he had not even shaved between his legs. Most alphas expected their omegas to be completely hairless, didn’t they?

And then Dean even started frowning.

 “Are you sure about this, Cas? Maybe we should wait. There’s lots of other things we can do.”

And Castiel realised that the alpha was not frowning because of Castiel’s body but because of the worried look on the omega’s face. Still a bit insecure with his appearance but not wanting to stop anything right now, Castiel quickly tried to assure Dean:

“Wait? I don’t want to wait any longer. We have been sleeping together in this bed for over a month now, Dean.”

“You’re right. A whole month of pure torture.”

Dean started towards the bed again, but Castiel interrupted him: “Wait.” Dean stopped instantly, looking a bit unsure. “Condoms. Second drawer. Under the socks.”

Castiel had almost feared his request would kill the mood, but Dean only laughed full-heartedly.

“Ah, you came prepared. I like that.”

Castiel blushed, but then Dean walked to his own night stand instead of where Castiel had pointed and pulled out a package.

“I am just not sure you got my size.” Dean said with a wink that had Castiel roll his eyes. But his mouth turned dry when Dean just kept standing there, looking down at Castiel, roaming his eyes up and down his body.

“You are so beautiful, baby.”

There was force behind Dean’s words and Castiel mewled, feeling like his whole body would turn to goo. And Dean had not even touched him.

Dean slowly crawled over Castiel, having both men groan out when their erect cocks rubbed over each other. For some time, they were stroking and kissing, until Castiel started to hump his hips against the alpha’s in a slow rhythm. He whined when Dean pulled back for a moment, but it turned into a happy moan as the alpha started to circle his thump around Castiel’s hole and then slowly pushed in.

Castiel’s breath became irregular as Dean spent the next half hour teasing two, then three fingers in and out of him while they still kissed and nibbled at each other. He was afraid he would embarrass himself by coming just like that, Dean’s fingers occasionally brushing over his sweet spot while the alpha rubbed his crotch lightly against Castiel’s. At some point, Castiel had flung his legs around Dean’s waist, lifting his lower body up in the process, to give the alpha better access. It had been ages since someone had touched him like that. Even longer since anyone had taken so much time and care preparing him.

When Dean finally pulled out and moved away from Castiel, the omega missed the other man’s touch already, the cool air on his chest causing goose bumps just as Dean’s touch had. But as he heard Dean tearing the foil wrapper open, he let out a sigh of relief, and a few seconds later – Castiel had closed his eyes to calm his breaths again – he felt soft lips against his own and a tongue teasing at them until Castiel opened his mouth for Dean to take possession of him. Dean’s hands had started to rub circles over his ass again and Castiel noticed that he really, really liked that feeling.

Nonetheless, Castiel gently pushed Dean back, trying to turn around to present. But the alpha stopped his movements.

“No, baby, stay like this, I want to see your face.”

And so Castiel laid back down, his legs curling around Dean’s waist again, and he used the leverage to lift his ass up. A moment later, he felt Dean’s hardness slowly push into him. When he was fully inside, Dean stopped for a moment, nipping at Castiel’s shoulder, licking over the mark on his neck. The he started moving in a slow, steady rhythm.

“You feel so good, baby, so tight for me.”

Castiel mumbled sheepishly: “It… it’s been a while…”

Dean looked down at him in surprise and Castiel realised this might have just been some random sex talk – Dean had probably not meant to insinuate anything with his words.

“Then I hope this is worth the wait.”

With that comment, Dean pushed against Castiel just in the right angle and the omega moaned. Castiel then gripped his legs stronger over Dean’s waist to pull him closer, deeper, and that drew out a loud growl from the alpha. Dean sped up his movements, hitting Castiel’s sweet spot regularly and stroking over the head of his cock, twisting his hand just right, even though Castiel assumed he would not have needed the additional stimulation.

All too soon, Castiel scrunched his eyes together and moaned out a loud “Dean!” until he came over the alpha’s stomach, bodies pressed together as they were.

Castiel’s vision was still blurred with stars and there was nothing but a humming noise in his ears while Dean was still moving inside of him. He looked up at the alpha, blue meeting green, and at that moment, Dean yelled out, leaned forwards and sank his teeth into Castiel’s neck. A second later, Castiel purred loudly when he felt Dean’s knot tying them together.

 

>><< 

 

Some part of Castiel’s mind tried to tell him he should have woken up in total bliss, despite the fact that he was feeling a little too hot and overall sticky. His head rested on Dean’s chest and he felt a strong arm around his waist. The predominant smell of slick and alpha all around made it obvious that he had not only dreamed about their nightly activities. But still, he was alarmed before he even opened his eyes.

That was the problem: The scent. Below the strong remnants of lust and an unusually strong omega scent, the room smelled of worried alpha.

“Dean?”

Castiel propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Dean’s face. He felt a little ache in his stomach and changed into a more comfortable position. The alpha’s eyes were closed and there was a hard line around his mouth. Castiel panicked. Dean had not wanted this. He had been carried away last night. Had only tried to comfort Castiel --- and then the omega had practically thrown himself at the alpha.

But no, that was not how it had happened. Not how it had felt.

“Dean? What is the matter?”

“I did not mean to pressure you last night, Cas.”

“What?” Castiel blinked.

“It wasn’t exactly a good idea, for us to have sex.” Castiel made a whimpering sound he would sure deny later, and Dean stroked soothingly over his arm. “I mean, not so soon. You were confused… with the Alpha Voice and stuff. I… I didn’t mean to take advantage of your sensitive state last night. And… you said it yourself: this undercover situation messes with our heads.”

Castiel closed his eyes, still feeling too hot, trying to make sense of the alpha’s words. So far, Dean seemed more worried about Castiel, he had not said he regretted anything himself. He decided to go from there.

“Dean, I am not confused. I very much enjoyed last night.”

“But…” Dean sighed. “I just don’t want you to be brainwashed from this undercover thing.”

It was probably the self-doubting look on Dean’s face that had Castiel blurt out: “This has nothing to do with the job, Dean. I have wanted you for a long time now. A lot longer than we are here in Little Heaven.”

“What?” Now it was Dean’s turn to look dumbfounded.

Well, in for a penny…

“I have had a crush on you for a long time, Dean.” Because _crush_ sounded far less embarrassing than _love_. Castiel was still surprised at his sudden honesty, but he was too upset with the troubled look on Dean’s face, like he had forced Castiel into anything. “I am not saying this to put any pressure on you. I just wanted you to know. So, I am not somehow confused because we shared a bed for five weeks now or because I am wearing your mark. I would have asked you out months ago if I had been brave enough.”

A stunned silence followed his words and Castiel feared that maybe he had gone too far. Maybe Dean felt like he was expecting something from him now. He opened his mouth to tell the alpha they would just go from there and see what happened, but stopped when Dean started laughing. Not just laughing – it looked like the alpha was having a hysterical meltdown, tears rolling down his face, whole body shaking. Castiel sat up and looked down at Dean with a hurt expression. As he moved he felt that pain again, and by now, he had a pretty good idea where it came from.

Great. _Now_ he was starting a heat – while the alpha of his dreams was laughing at him for confessing his love. Dean took one look at his pouting face and chuckled again.

“Oh, Cas, don’t look so mad. Do you have any idea how torturous those last weeks have been? To go to sleep next to you every night, and not be able to touch you. I thought I might go crazy.”

“What… what are you saying, Dean?”

“What I am saying, baby…” Dean sat up as well and licked lightly over the crook of Castiel’s neck – a move, as he had learned last night, that made the omega melt into the mattress “… I have been interested in you for a long time as well. I’m a full-grown alpha, but I am not ashamed to admit I nearly fainted when I realised you were the omega who would go on an undercover mission with me, to be my pretend-mate. I was sure I would not make it through a day without embarrassing myself.”

“But --- why did you never say anything?”

Castiel knew why _he_ had never asked Dean out – he was shy and awkward and insecure, but Dean was none of those things.

“Did you know that Jody makes us visit omega harassment courses every year?”

“And they tell you not to ask out any colleagues? Even if they are not your subordinates?”

“No, not exactly. But they tell you to not come off too forceful, to be respectful. And I know from Sammy how much shit some omegas have to take from knotheaded alphas. So I tried to talk to you, without too much flirting until I knew you were interested as well. And I am sorry, Cas, but you’ve never seemed particularly infatuated with me. You hardly said hello – and when I asked you out for lunch with the gang, I feared you might have a panic attack. Once I even saw you hitting your head on your desk when you thought I couldn’t see you anymore. That was quite discouraging. I thought my ego would never recover. And then there is that forensics guy always sniffing around you. I swear you talk to him more in five minutes than you have ever said to me before we took this job.”

Castiel could not help himself anymore – he started laughing, too. He had to supress a whimper as he felt slick dropping out of his hole.

“First, Balthazar is just a good friend. And I talk more with him, because I don’t care what he thinks of me too much and I was not constantly scared of making a complete fool of myself. Which is why I hit my head on the desk. It seemed like I could never say the right thing to you. You always made jokes I didn’t understand. You might have noticed I don’t get that many references.”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.” Dean had rolled completely on top of Castiel and nipped playfully down his jaw; obviously his mood had changed completely since Castiel woke up if the happy alpha scent was any indication.

“Hey, I know Sherlock Holmes. You know, I read.” Castiel hit Dean’s shoulder in a playful manner. Not too hard though, because he did not want the alpha to stop as he nibbled ever so lightly at his bottom lip. The alpha’s arms had wrapped around Castiel’s waist while the omega pulled him closer by his shoulders.

“You smell really, really good this morning.” Dean’s voice had dropped so low that Castiel thought he was feeling it rather than hearing. At that, he felt another gush of slick running out of his body.

“Well, I should think so. I am staring a heat,” he explained matter-of-factly.

Dean froze, then he looked down at Castiel with a definite smug expression.

“Are you saying that just one night of carnal bliss with this manly alpha has started my pretty little omega’s heat?”

Castiel wanted to slap the smirk off Dean’s face. But he also very much wanted Dean to continue touching him, already feeling the calming effect to his sensitive skin, so he refrained himself from violence.

Unfortunately though, Dean stopped caressing him nonetheless, and the alpha even started to frown – which was not at all what Castiel had expected. “Should I call Sam? Or Donna? So they can come over.”

“What? No.” Castiel could not believe his ears.

“But you’re in heat. What should we tell them?”

“Nothing. They don’t need to know. No one is supposed to come around this weekend. How would they ever find out?” Dean kept staring at Castiel with this contemplating expression, so Castiel decided he needed to be a bit more convincing. He assumed that Dean thought he could not make any coherent decision in his state – most alphas, and betas, were convinced that heat made omegas crazy with lust, and to hell with all consequences. But then every omega who had ever shared a heat with an alpha would be claimed, wouldn’t they? Castiel usually hated those prejudices of will-less omegas, but right now, he found Dean’s concern oddly endearing. When the alpha opened his mouth to respond, Castiel did not give him the opportunity.

“Like you just said, Dean, this heat is your fault. So _you_ take care of it.” Castiel stroked a hand over Dean’s arm and then added, looking up at him through his eye-lashes in an attempt to look sensual: “Alpha.”

Castiel feared he might have overdone it, but at the reminder of his great alpha prowess, Dean let out a very pleased deep rumble.

Castiel spread his legs a bit more so Dean automatically settled between them.

“Bossy, aren’t you? Any special requests?” He asked with wrinkles around his eyes.

At that, Castiel sunk back into the mattress. “Just don’t call me your pretty little omega again. Ever.”

“Sure thing, baby.”

Dean’s smirk grew a whole lot wider when Castiel’s response was drowned by a moan as the alpha had started to circle a finger around his hole.

“What was that, baby?”

He let one finger dip in and quickly tease out. Castiel mewled again.

“Just… just get on with it.”

Dean chuckled. “Like I said. Bossy.”

 

>><< 

 

For the next forty-eight hours, Castiel hardly left Dean’s side for anything else than a short visit to the bathroom.

Fortunately, no alphas came knocking at their door during that time – Castiel did not want to find out how Dean would have reacted to Lucifer right now, with not only the Full Moon so close, but also an omega in heat in the house.

But otherwise, Castiel was really happy he had prevented Dean from calling his brother – he so much preferred to have the older Winchester around for the duration of his heat. Dean was the perfect partner: He cooked for Castiel and made sure he drank enough; he cuddled with him and let Castiel breathe in his scent to calm his hormones; he even changed the sheets while Castiel took warm baths or cold showers. And not to mention, Dean’s knot was quite helpful as well.

Dean looked out for his omega the whole time and Castiel enjoyed just lying back and letting someone else take care of him for a change. It felt like heaven and he could not remember the last time someone had been so focused on him and his well-being. He was glad they had confessed each other’s infatuation before his heat had fully started – that way, everything seemed so much more intimate. They not only had sex but also talked about personal matters or shared childhood memories; Dean repeatedly joked about how they could have had such a better time if they had been open from the beginning. From what Castiel could read between the lines, the alpha had only started to notice Castiel after they had arrested Ms Abaddon. And Dean seemed to assume that was when Castiel had developed his crush as well – and the omega let him in that belief. It was way too soon into their relationship – at least Castiel hoped that was what they had now – to confess to his years of pining. If he ever would. It suddenly did not seem that relevant anymore.

Castiel was relieved to notice Dean might not buy too much into the porn-description of omegas in heat after all. He did not treat him like a needy slave of his lust, even though he always seemed to realise when his heat flared up again and countered with gentle touches. Dean might be all alpha in the bedroom, just like Castiel had always imagined, but he still made sure Castiel was always prepared and never tried anything without looking after Castiel’s needs first. The omega could not remember to have ever come so often during one weekend, not even in heat. Especially not while he was supposed to do nothing else _than lay back and enjoy the show_ – at least that was what Dean had said before his tongue had found his way into the omega’s hole, hands kneading his ass and thighs. Uriel had never done anything like that, always arguing it was just too gross, no matter how much he expected Castiel to suck him off. But Dean did not seem to mind, and Castiel tried not to feel guilty as he moaned and pushed his ass back even more into the alpha’s face. It had earned him a chuckle and a light slap on the right cheek – as well as one of the best orgasms in his life.

During his heat, Castiel had even needed to hold himself back once or twice, otherwise he would have tried to bite Dean in return whenever the alpha marked him – an urge he had never experienced before.

By Monday morning, they had been through both packages of condoms – and Castiel woke up with a feeling of total bliss. He was not even repulsed by the strong scent of his heat after his hormones had settled down again – nor did he feel too bad for the alpha who must be pretty exhausted right now. He could hear the water running in the shower and hurried down to make breakfast – with the biggest smile plastered on his face. When Dean had to go back to work an hour later, Castiel could hardly make himself stop touching the other man – and that feeling seemed to be quite mutual. He followed him to the door where Dean kissed him deeply for the last time. Leaving Castiel grinning like an idiot, despite his disappointment.

Dean liked him. He _liked_ liked him. Had done so for a long while. Castiel chuckled at himself for thinking like a teenager. But he still could not believe it – the whole time he had thought Dean would never take interest in someone like him, someone awkward and shy and boring – and the alpha had even tried to flirt with him, thinking he was not interested.  

When Charlie called him on Monday morning like she usually did, Castiel thought she must notice there was something profoundly different the moment he picked up the phone. But she seemed to be unfazed by his mood – maybe if they had talked face-to-face, she would have noticed his idiot grin. He and Dean had decided together they would keep the change of their relationship a secret until they were done with the mission. Both men were anxious Jody would instantly call them back if she heard they were a couple now. But still, to Castiel it felt like the whole world had changed during this last weekend – it was hard to understand not everyone felt it.

Meg came around an hour later, and unlike Charlie, she did pick up there was something different within seconds.

“Well, you are in a good mood.” She said as she stepped inside. Then she scrunched her nose and coughed out. “You’ve been in heat, Cas? Jeez. You need to open all your windows, like right now. Don’t take this the wrong way, but it stinks in here.”

Not even those words could wipe the smile off Castiel’s face. He just complied and opened two windows, strangely hesitant to clean the smell out. He knew it was not pleasant, usually he thought so himself, but the lingering scent made it easier to daydream about the last weekend. And maybe Dean would like it when he came back. Maybe it would arouse him like it had when...

“Ugh. That happy scent on you is really disgusting, Clarence. Your alpha must have a very big knot if this is how you come out of a heat.”

At that, Castiel’s expression faltered. “It’s not that. Dean has been very… attentive the last couple of days. And not just in the bedroom.”

“Ha. He wants you to get pregnant then. Keep you healthy to better carry his child.”

Castiel only blushed – but did not say this scenario was very unlikely with Dean using condoms.

“Not that that makes Crowley more bearable during my heats. All he wants to do is fuck.” Castiel clearly was not comfortable with those kinds of conversations and Meg snickered. “You might not have noticed, Clarence, but we are not all as happily mated as you are.”

And not for the first time did Castiel wonder why Meg had allowed Crowley to claim her. Even if she grew up in an old-fashioned household like she’d once told him, she was so full of spunk and fight, he could hardly believe anyone would be able to make her move to a community like this. She obviously knew there were other possibilities for omegas – so why did she agree to take Crowley as a mate?

An alpha’s claim would only be permanent if the omega would bite the alpha in return during a heat. So it was not too easy to force a claim on the omega without consent – and Meg definitely did not appear like she was too delirious with lust in Crowley’s arms so she might have agreed to it in the heat of the moment. It happened to others, though. Especially young adults often rushed into a claiming, thinking it was romantic – until their parents found out. Unsurprisingly, the omega would still get most of the blast – considering the mark was on _their_ neck, so it was _their_ problem, not matter how much the alpha had put it there. The alpha was mostly just chided and then they could go on with their lives as if nothing had happened.

But Meg really did not seem the type of person who would just let anyone claim her. Maybe she had thought she could live a semi-independent life with Crowley being on business trips all the time – and then it had turned out differently after moving to Little Heaven.

In any case, Castiel promised himself to visit Meg again after his mission. Once he was back in his normal job, he would seek her out and tell her she could easily divorce from Crowley, mating bite or not. There were a lot of single omegas with a mark around these days, and the stigma was not as bad as it had been. Sure, some alphas still would not look at you twice – but in Castiel’s opinion, they usually were no loss.

Castiel watched his friend as she helped herself to a glass of apple juice in the fridge, with the usual confidence that she always showed when there were no alphas around. He sighed. He would even try to help her find a job – she was quick-witted and tougher than she looked.

“Aw, don’t look so glum, Clarence. I don’t have it half bad. At least he leaves me alone most of the time. Things could be worse. Like Olivia for example, now that is someone who deserves your pity. Dr Styne seems to be a real pig. Or think about the unfortunate omega who will get the attention of one Lucifer Cage one day. He’ll definitely not act like Mr Knight and mourn his precious mate for the rest of his life.” She took Castiel’s hand and showed a rare outburst of affection. “And honestly, I am surprised to find you in such a good mood. I heard about Dean last Friday, when he told you to get inside. I was afraid he… but that doesn’t matter anymore, I guess.”

Castiel almost chuckled – it was strange. Here he was worrying about Meg, thinking about ways to get her to leave her mate, while she seemed concerned for him as well.

He had really grown to like her.

 

>><< 

 

After their heart-to-heart a few days ago, Dean and Castiel’s routine had completely changed, yet it was still the same. They would get up at the same time and do the same things during the day, Castiel would have dinner ready when Dean came back from work like before, and then they watched TV or Castiel let Dean talk him into a card game. And sometimes they had guests over.

But even though it superficially looked like it was all the same, everything had just as much changed. They smiled a lot more and teased each other in a way they hadn’t done before. Castiel still did not understand all of Dean’s jokes, but the alpha only said it would give him the opportunity to teach Castiel about the important things in life. Like Scoobie Doo. Or Dr Sexy M.D. They also touched and scented each other every chance they got. They did not sit with so much space between them on the sofa anymore, but huddled together, enjoying their show as much as their closeness. And sometimes they even forgot all about the TV.

Until a few days ago, Castiel had been sure he was the sex-in-the-bedroom-only type of guy. But Dean did not seem to share his restrictions. And Castiel had now experienced the benefits and disadvantages of kitchen counters, the dinner table or even the wall in the hall when Dean had lost patience on the way to their bedroom. There was a whole lot of playfulness and laughter in having sex with Dean, and a spontaneity that always surprised and excited Castiel.

And right now he was lying flat on their sofa as Dean opened his pants to stroke Castiel’s member to full erection, the smell of slick already strong in the room while neither man looked at the TV anymore. Castiel quickly pulled his pants and underwear down, shirt still on, and turned around on all fours on the sofa, presenting for Dean.

“Oh, baby, aren’t you hot,” the alpha rumbled out as he stroked over Castiel’s thighs, hands slowly wandering upwards.

Castiel ducked his head, still shy with comments like this, but then he saw a movement in the corner of his eye. His head jerked up again, and then he let out a shriek, drew back and almost crushed his head against Dean’s.

“Whoa, Cas, next time give me a warning. We don’t have to…”

“Someone is watching us, Dean. I saw someone at the window.”

To Dean’s credit, the alpha sobered up within a second, pulled up his slacks and hurried towards the window Castiel had pointed at.

“I can’t see anything,” Dean announced, but he didn’t sound like he was doubting Castiel’s words. He walked towards the front door in wide strides. “Lock up after me. I’ll be right back.”

Before Castiel could reply, the alpha was out of the front door. But the omega still tried to glare daggers into Dean’s back through the solid wood. He did not like that the alpha was out there alone with who-knows-who lurking around in their garden. But he would give him ten minutes – then he’d get the gun and try to rescue his partner from whatever villain. Just as he was about to follow, there was a soft knock on the door Castiel was still leaning against, and a muffled: “It’s me, Cas, let me in.”

With a sigh of relief, Castiel opened the door and let his eyes roam over Dean like he was expecting him to have severe injuries. But the alpha did not look like he had bumped into any kind of monster.

“And?” Castiel still asked anxiously.

“Sorry, I didn’t see anyone. Cain was working in his garage and I even knocked and asked him, but he didn’t notice anyone either.”

Castiel frowned – and as he thought back, he suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore he had seen a person. Maybe it was just the reflection of the TV screen.

“Well, maybe I overreacted, maybe there was no one there.”

Dean looked at him with furrowed brows, but then shrugged, stroked over the omega’s arm and said: “Or maybe we have a peeping Tom around who gets turned on by watching hot omegas like you.”

Castiel pulled his arm back. “If this is your idea of getting me back in the mood, it is not working. I don’t want anyone watching us having sex.”

Dean chuckled. “Then how about we go upstairs? Close the blinds? No one can see us there.” He wiggled his eyebrows in a fashion that had Castiel think of Gabriel. Oh gods, Gabriel – he would never stop teasing Castiel when he told him how he had started to sleep with Dean during an undercover operation.

Castiel pushed thoughts of his almost-brother away and rolled his eyes at Dean, but he turned around and walked up the stairs nonetheless.

“Pha, alphas! Not even the thought of some pervert looming around can get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Hey, not fair. I was totally ready to defend you honour right now. But since I couldn’t find anyone…”

Castiel turned around, and just like he had expected, Dean’s gaze was fixed to his backside. He stopped and waited for Dean to look up into his face before he resumed his way upstairs, with the alpha on his tail. There was a line around Dean’s mouth that had Castiel assume the flirty attitude was mostly for Castiel’s sake – a reaction to the omega’s still anxious scent.

That suspicion just seemed to be confirmed when Dean pecked him on his cheek once they lay on the bed, all the fierce intent from before gone. They caressed each other almost lazily until Castiel’s scent had lost the last traces of distress and both men fell asleep in each other’s arms.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had not seen Meg again until Friday – and he was getting more and more concerned. The blinds on all the windows were pulled down and Crowley seemed to have been gone for a few days. Usually, that was when Meg practically lived in Castiel’s home during the day – or they endured Naomi’s tasks together, often with Tessa’s help to cheer them up.

After Dean had left for work, Castiel decided he had waited long enough and went over to ring the doorbell. It took a while until Meg opened the door with a flushed expression. She was wearing slacks and a hoodie, her hair tousled around her head.

“Oh, Clarence, what brings you here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I did not know I needed a reason. You usually don’t. I was concerned, because I have not seen you in days.”

“Oh. Well, I … ah… I was feeling a bit off.”

Castiel breathed in deeply and then he realised it. Heat. But there was something else that was wrong with her scent, different. But Castiel could not say what it was exactly.

“You were in heat? You should have called me. With Crowley gone…”

“I prefer taking care of it myself. And that Crowley was gone was just a major plus. So I could think about Essie Davis for the last few days. No offense, but you aren’t exactly my type. But now, I am grateful for the company. Come on in.”

Castiel was reminded of what Meg had told him a few days before – this place reeked. Not only that but there were dirty dishes, paper towels and coffee stains all around. Castiel assumed Meg had not been too fond of cleaning the house even before her heat started, but now it looked really grubby.

“When does your mate return?”

“This afternoon.” Castiel’s eyes widened, both at the information and Meg’s nonchalant tone. Then she sighed. “Well, I guess I need to start making the place look like a home again.”

Castiel helped, and an hour later, the place did not reek of heat anymore and at least there was no more leftover food lying around. Castiel went upstairs to put some more clothes into the washing machine when he noticed the room to Crowley’s study was open. He had sneaked around the place a few times before, actually he knew it better than any other house in Little Heaven, but he could never get into that certain room – and therefore, he had been all the more curious about it. He stopped and listened, hearing Meg clattering around in the kitchen. Then he quickly stepped over the threshold.

The room did not look too suspicious. There were a lot of folders and files, a computer and some scribbled notes on papers – nothing out of place in a home office.

But then Castiel could read his name on one of the post-its. He stepped further into the room and read the note:

_Castiel S: alone from 8 to 5; Dean S.: always home for dinner like a good alpha_

Castiel had no idea what this meant and was even more intrigued when he could see Dean’s name on some other notes – and then his eyes fell on a picture of a brightly smiling young man.  He picked it up and felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

Castiel knew that face. But he had seen it with a pained grimace and dead eyes.

It was the third omega victim, Gavin Prince.

“Clarence, what are you doing in here?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the smexiness and the almost/kind of talking about feelings-part in this chapter. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

Castiel picked up the picture from the desk and his hand started shaking.

Why was Crowley having a picture of Gavin Prince in his office? And why was he making notes on the behaviour of various inhabitants in Little Heaven?

One more look at the desk told Castiel that the notes did not only mention him and Dean but other names as well. Often with a time tag. Picture still in hand, he read one paper where someone seemingly recorded whenever Azazel came by and repaired something in their community – as well as the times he was just walking around without any obvious reason, like Castiel had already observed.

Castiel looked at the picture in his hands again. It showed a happy young man. He closed his eyes for a second but quickly opened them again as the image in front of him gave way to the pained grimace of the third murder victim.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and to think about what he should do next. Leave everything as it was and talk to Dean as soon as possible? Or should he try to get more information? But he didn’t know how long he had until Meg was finished cleaning up downstairs.

Which raised another question: Did his friend know about this?

And then it hit him. He breathed in deeply again. The scent of Crowley was nearly non-existent in this room, but Meg’s was as strong as it had been in the rest of the house. And now he noticed what had bothered him about her scent before, the moment he stepped through the front door. She had not smelled of Crowley, not one little bit.

Could this be? Could it be that his friend was involved in the killings of four innocent couples? And how did Crowley fit into this scheme? Had they formed some killer-alliance instead of being mates?

Whatever it was, he did not have the time to figure it all out right now. Maybe they could orchestrate a diversion tonight, and Castiel could sneak back in and look for more evidence. Or maybe Jody would send some officers with a search warrant, though Castiel doubted what he had found would be enough to arrest any otherwise respectable citizens. It was too easy to argue it away – and if anything, Crowley had a silver tongue. The notes on their neighbours made them nosy at best – and that was not exactly illegal. Naomi probably knew more about every resident in Little Heaven than what would fit in a room twice as big as this.

Castiel was just about to put the picture back where he had found it when he heard a creaking noise from behind. Before he could do anything more, he pulled his hands behind his back, trying to hide what he thought was the most incriminating evidence in the room. And put on a neutral expression.

“Clarence, what are you doing in here?”

“I… ah… the door was open.”

Meg just raised an eyebrow, otherwise she remained surprisingly calm which unsettled Castiel a lot more than had she been enraged.

“I didn’t know it was a habit of yours to enter every room in a private home. Just cause it’s not locked.”

Castiel’s heartbeat sped up and he hoped she couldn’t hear it as he tried to look bashful, like a child that had eaten all the chocolate chip cookies without asking. He was not sure he succeeded since Meg still had that unsettling expression, like she was in full control of the situation rather than irritated that someone had just found her murderer’s lair. But then again, if she had a hand in the killing of four physically strong couples, she might not be intimidated by one fragile omega.

“I am sorry for that. I was… a bit intrigued, I guess. And then I saw my name on a note…”

Castiel let his voice drift off, sounding like he thought it was only mildly curious and nothing special. Like having neighbours with accounts of everyone’s whereabouts was completely normal. He had tried the naïve-little-omega-act before since he moved to Little Heaven – but never around his friend, and he wasn’t sure she would buy it.

Meg let out a huff of laughter and rubbed her hands, the first sign of nervousness – but at the same time her posture relaxed slightly.

“Sorry about that. You know Crowley, he is an odd one. A bit obsessed and paranoid. Probably comes with his line of work. Don’t worry about it. I am pretty sure he doesn’t know half as much about anyone here as Naomi.”

Castiel did not believe her, not one word – the place smelled too much like _her_ to point at Crowley – but for the moment, he hoped she would let it be. Maybe they could just agree that Castiel had been more nosy than was proper and leave it at that. Then he could consult with Dean about what they should do next as soon as the alpha came back home.

“What do you have there, Clarence?”

Too late Castiel remembered the picture in his hand and he couldn’t do anything else than show it to her now.

“It just… it was lying on the desk,” Castiel gulped, suddenly a lot more nervous than before. He observed Meg, waiting for a possible attack. He did not underestimate her – but he guessed he had a good chance with surprise on his side. She would not expect him to know how to defend himself.

Meg narrowed her eyes at him and Castiel was certain she did not trust his innocent tone.

“And why would you take such interest in that picture?”

Castiel swallowed and decided he would go straight to the point. He did not want to tell her he was an officer of the law yet, but maybe he could make her admit to a crime. “I-I-I thought…” he stuttered deliberately, like he was nervous – and oh-so-helpless, “I thought I knew the face. From the newspaper. I… ah… I thought it was one of the victims of that serial killer. The New Moon Killer, the press calls him.”

“Now you are awfully well informed about a murder that happened months ago, and in a different state.” 

Castiel noticed how she did not argue that the man in the picture was Gavin Prince, which convinced him even more that Meg was somehow involved in the murders. He felt a sudden pain in his chest. He had trusted Meg. He liked her.

Castiel tried to shove his hurt feelings down and concentrated on a probable pretext for his curiosity.   

“The murders were everywhere – you could hardly turn on the TV without stumbling over it. And when Dean had decided we would move to this community, a friend had tried to convince me it was a bad idea. Showed me articles about the killings. He is a bit paranoid and was sure I would end up dead in Little Heaven.” He did not know if Meg would believe any of his lies and so he tried to deflect her with a question of his own. Just to give his story a bit more credibility, he made sure his voice shook when he asked like a frightened rabbit: “Why do you have a picture of this man in your office, Meg?”

There was a long pause. Meg looked at him and it seemed like she had a long, silent discussion with herself. In the end, she sighed. Her posture changed in a way that had Castiel involuntarily relax – for the first time in the last ten minutes, she did not look like she might lunge at him any second.

“That man on the picture is Gavin Prince. He is… _was_ Crowley’s son.”

Castiel just blinked at her. What?

“And we are not mated either.” She pulled her hair back and Castiel could see she had only a faint mark on her neck, one that was obviously a couple of days old. Not an irrevocable claim, just a bite. Like Castiel had on his neck. “I am a Private Detective. Crowley hired me to look into the case, since the police don’t seem to get anywhere.”

Castiel tried not to look indignant while he put the picture back on the desk. With just a few sentences, Meg had completely turned his world upside down. He had so many questions and was tempted to give away the reason he was here – if only to show her that the police were not as dense as she obviously thought. But he hesitated. He believed her story instantly, even though Gavin was already the second surprise in Crowley’s family tree. But it made sense. It would explain why the feisty Meg endured her time in Little Heaven. And the whole oddity of their relationship.

Of course, there was still the possibility she was just lying to him – but the whole look of the room fitted an investigation rather than a murderer’s den. He assumed a killer might collect remnants of victims – like jewellery or body parts – and not keep meticulous notes of neighbours. And the murders had not seemed like the result of months of planning, and obviously not by close acquaintances. Castiel just hoped his conclusion was not so much induced by personal feelings.

He tried to think of a question anyone would ask in this situation and put on the mask of the scared omega again: “Then why are you here in Little Heaven? Do you think he will strike here next?”

“No. I don’t think he likes to play in his own backyard. But you still should have listened to your friend when he warned you to move here.” Castiel needed a moment to remember the friend he had just made up a few minutes ago. “I believe the killer lives here.”

“But… why? I mean how did you come to this conclusion?” Castiel was honestly curious. No details had been given to the public that would make anyone think of Little Heaven.

“I tracked down a friend of Gavin’s. She’d heard that his mate was considering moving to Little Heaven. His alpha was obviously looking for a more lucrative city to expand his business in – and they had just recently met someone who lived here and praised the place to the skies.”

Castiel frowned – mostly because he had never heard about this friend before. “But this does not seem like much of a reason to think the murderer lives here.”

“Well, no. But I know an officer working at the police station that handled the first case. He owed me one. Turned out, they had found a flyer on Little Heaven in their flat.” Now, Castiel had heard about that at least. Meg shrugged. “I know, it still isn’t much. But all couples have lived in places like these for a while – and there aren’t that many of creepy communities like Little Heaven anymore.” She smiled apologetically at Castiel. “I’m sorry, Clarence, but I don’t know how any omega would agree to live here. And I know you grew up in an omega home… but you could have so much more of a life than just being someone’s nice little mate.”

Castiel ignored her. The conversation was taking a turn that didn’t help him. “Then who do you think is the murderer?”

“I don’t think I need to lay that on you, Clarence,” she did not meet his eyes as she said it.

Castiel almost laughed out. Then he remembered how she had examined him a few minutes ago. Did she think he was involved? This time, he did laugh, but he still felt a painful sting that their friendship had only been feigned.

“Me? Did you think I was involved? Or rather Dean?”

She laughed nervously. “No. Honestly,… well, not _really_. _I_ never did. You moved here way too late for example.” True – and one of the reasons Castiel had never suspected the Crowleys, no matter how strange they had behaved at times. “But Crowley wanted me to watch you two closely. He thought there was something strange about you. You did not seem to be the type to fit in here. A little bit like Billy, but with even less reason.”

“So you became my friend to keep an eye on me. And on Dean.” He was surprised his voice was steady and did not show how hurt he was – even though he knew he had no right to be reproachful. After all, he was still lying to Meg himself.

“At first, yes. But honestly, you were the one who kept me sane those last couple of weeks.” Castiel nodded regally – he knew that feeling too well. Meg licked her lips nervously. “But I won’t hide that I was confused as well. Especially last week. Crowley told me what happened with Lucifer and how Dean sent you inside. Then no one saw either of you the whole weekend, not even in church, and a few days later you were all happy. And I did not think you were the type to enjoy a little bit of pain play. Not that you could see inside a person… But Dean seems protective of you rather than possessive – and when you were in company, you always were the picture of a submissive mate, but when you did not notice anyone watching, the two of you laughed and talked in a way you would never see on Naomi or Dick. And not to say your place isn’t tidy – but you don’t seem to be too invested in house-keeping. Not like most of the omegas here are, anyway. Crowley sometimes tried to get a reaction out of your mate, or make him jealous, but Dean’s anger was never directed at you – uncommon for an alpha like him. They usually blame their omega at least partly for anything that happens.”

“Well, Dean… he acts in public the way he thinks is expected of an alpha, but in private, he is quite different.” Castiel’s confession was close enough to the truth that he hoped Meg would believe it. For now, it seemed to work – his blush might have helped. She nodded like that theory had crossed her mind already.

“I thought of something like that. Maybe there is still hope and you can re-educate him,” she said with a wicked glint in her eyes. “Anyways, he is definitely smitten with you, and I figured that an alpha who was so in love with his mate would hardly go around and rape other omegas. It just doesn’t seem probable. At least that is what my gut told me. Even Crowley agreed after a while.”

Castiel only nodded. He tried finding out more about Meg’s _investigation_ , but even at his repeated attempt to find out who Meg thought the killer was, the other omega evaded his questions and told him he should not worry about it. Meg tried to calm him by repeating the murderer would probably not act in his own home – but still advised him to keep the doors locked and never let any alpha in the house while Dean was away. After a few more minutes, Castiel gave up trying to get her to reveal anything, especially after her expression became more suspicious. He feared it had turned into something close to an interrogation – something he had never been good at.

After a while, he claimed he had to prepare dinner before Dean would return home. At the door Meg, who had never been one for sentiment, hugged him tightly. She looked almost relieved – maybe she was glad she finally had someone to talk to. Castiel assumed her work was a lot lonelier than his.

“And Clarence? Please don’t tell anyone about this. Promise me. Crowley will be mad at me for telling you the truth as it is. If anyone else finds out what we are trying to do, the last few months will have been useless.”

Castiel couldn’t promise her that, so he answered truthfully: “I don’t keep secrets from Dean.” He kind of forgot to mention the whole Greenville Police Station. “But I won’t tell anyone else in Little Heaven, and neither will my mate. I can promise you that.”

Hesitantly, Meg nodded. “All right, I guess I’ll have to live with that.” She then smirked. “But don’t complain to me when your mate gets all overprotective and won’t allow you to go anywhere on your own anymore.”

“Well, maybe this means I won’t have to take part in any of Naomi’s charities from now on.”

Meg chuckled, and for the moment, their friendship felt just as solid as it had an hour ago.

 

>><< 

 

The rest of the day, Castiel was restless. He couldn’t wait for Dean’s return and looked at the watch every five minutes. He had already called Sam to give him an update and see if he could validate any of the new information about Crowley.

When he finally came back from his pretend job (the one Dean was more and more getting involved in and from what Castiel had heard, the alpha had been pretty helpful for the company already), Dean frowned when Castiel had hardly time for an innocent peck on the lips, instead of the extended make-out-session he had gotten used to after nine hours apart.

“What’s up, baby?”

“Meg is a private detective. She is not mated to Crowley but works for him. Crowley is the father of Gavin Prince, the third omega victim.”

“Huh?”

Castiel had been so focused on talking with Dean about the new developments all day that he needed a moment to realise this might have been too much information at once. He licked his lips and started from the beginning. Half an hour later, Dean leaned back in a kitchen chair.

“Wow, you’ve been busy today. How is it we didn’t know Crowley was the father before?”

“There is no father mentioned on his birth certificate. His mother raised him on her own, until she mated when he was six.” Dean raised an eyebrow at Castiel’s explanation. “I called Sam this afternoon. He’ll be here any minute to discuss how we should go on from there.”

When Sam and Eileen came around, the four of them decided – with Jody’s consent – they would be open towards Meg and Crowley as well. From their point of view, they might gain more by talking to them than they could lose. Meg had moved to Little Heaven weeks before Dean and Castiel and would hopefully be more willing to talk to police detectives than civilians – obviously, she hadn’t wanted to scare her defenceless omega friend this afternoon.

So, Castiel called her that night and asked if he and Dean could come over for a little chat. He insinuated that Dean might know something useful for her case to catch her interest – but she did not seem to be surprised about his call. Obviously, she had expected that his alpha would want to know more details about this potential killer-situation.

“All right. Better than having only Crowley for company. He is already mad at me for telling you – so why not anger him a little bit more with your mate.”

When Dean and Castiel knocked at their neighbour’s door, Meg seemed very surprised to see Sam and Eileen as well. Castiel had deliberately forgotten to mention he would bring more guests. They had discussed whether to invite the Crowleys over or visit them, but Dean had argued that the other alpha might feel more comfortable in his own territory while he was surrounded by strangers. Also, in his own house, he could not simply leave. Castiel had to admit Dean was right about that last fact – the way he looked at the group in front of him, Crowley would probably have bolted before he’d stepped through their front door.

Meg just moved backwards to let them in when Crowley yelled: “Bloody hell, this is supposed to be a secret operation. And there you go and tell everyone! How stupid are you?” With the last question he looked directly at Castiel, and Dean snarled at the short alpha.

Sam, who stood behind the pretend couple looked at his brother in obvious surprise, but there was also a smile tugging at his mouth. Eileen just looked at Crowley with a deep frown. She did not seem to be impressed by him.

Castiel raised his chin and while the two alphas were starting a staring contest, he said to his friend: “Meg, may I introduce you to Dean’s brother Sam and his mate Eileen. They are both police detectives.”

Meg’s eyes widened, and Crowley forgot about Dean as his head jerked towards Castiel and he yelled out: “Police? You brought the bloody police into my house?”

Dean was about to bark something at Crowley, but one look from Castiel had him hesitate.

“Clarence, I thought I was pretty clear that the police don’t think there is something going on here.”

“Well, we do. Dean and I came here to investigate.”

Meg blinked at him – and then she laughed so hard Sam twitched from the sound.

“I guess we are not as blind and deaf as you thought,” Castiel added with a soft smile.

“So you telling me that all the time we thought there is something wrong with you…. It is because you are working undercover as well?”

Hesitantly, everyone sat down in the living room and they slowly started to explain. Dean spent some time threatening Crowley about withholding evidence from the police – to which the other man only replied it was not his fault if the police were doing such a lousy job. Naturally, that comment did do nothing to elate Dean’s mood. Castiel and Sam quickly tried to focus Crowley’s attention on them – before their banter could escalate.

As it turned out, Crowley had been Gavin Prince’s biological father, even though he had never taken any active role in the boy’s life. He told it like it was no big deal, because he had no love for this boy who he had never known – but Castiel assumed there was more sentiment to him than he wanted to let on. After all, he had hired a detective, switched jobs and moved to Little Heaven to find his son’s murderer. That didn’t exactly sound like he was indifferent.

“Would you tell us what your source said, Meg?” Sam asked.

Meg looked at Crowley, who grumbled out: “Actually, it was _my_ source. _I_ found her.”

“But she wouldn’t talk to you, so it doesn’t count.” Meg rolled her eyes before she turned to Sam again. “Well, she’d been a good friend of Gavin and he’d told her that his mate was looking for another major office for his company. Initially, they wanted to go to Sanddorn, but then his alpha heard about an interesting offer in Kensington. And they were told about Little Heaven, a wonderful community just like they had lived in. She could remember the name, because she thought it sounded cute.” Meg rolled her eyes. “I didn’t buy too much into it because she seemed a little out of touch with the real world. But then my police source said they had found an ad for this little alpha-haven in the victims’ apartment – and I thought it was worth a shot.”

Crowley took over: “I agreed and decided we would find out the most if we moved here and sniffed around. I initially hired the hag because I thought she might have better chances to talk to Gavin’s few friends. And now we have been stuck together for months and I am trying my best not to kill her myself.”

Meg smiled at Crowley in a way that said she very much shared his aversion.

“Then why did you bring her? Why not hire someone else? If you two dislike each other so much?” Sam asked.

“Because coming here as a couple seemed the best option. And do you have any idea how many private omega detectives are out there?”

“I’d guess even fewer than with the police,” Eileen said drily.

“Touché,” Crowley replied.

Dean was still glaring at Crowley – and Castiel was not so sure it had to do with his previous insults or simply because the alpha had bested him for over a month. Castiel tried to get the alpha’s attention with a question he knew he would find the most interesting: “So, whom do you suspect, Meg?”

“Well, I think it is Lucifer. But… I couldn’t find anything incriminating. Yet. Once I … ah… chose to look around his place while he was off on a business trip. But I couldn’t find anything that would connect him to any of the murders. But on the other hand, he was away for all the New Moons during the last year.” Meg had a tone that said this information was enough for her.

“Ha!” Said Dean and looked at Castiel – who only raised his eyebrow. “Told you he was the most likely suspect.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “But Meg just said there is no evidence.”

“And what about a partner?” Asked Eileen who had been insistent that it were probably at least two killers working together from the very beginning. And Castiel was inclined to agree. “Could there be someone this Lucifer is working with?”

“Lilith might be a possibility,” Castiel said into the silence.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” Meg replied.

“I don’t think so,” Dean said at the same moment as Crowley added: “That’s ridiculous.”

Dean frowned, obviously not liking to agree with the other man. Then he added: “Two alphas working together to kill someone… I don’t think that would work. At least not for more often than once. Too much competition. Too much aggression and violence. They’d probably kill each other off themselves.”

“But there is just something going on with them. And Lilith seems more than a little bit interested in alpha men,” Meg said with a smirk. “But I don’t know… she might have shifted her interest to Dean here.”

Dean looked at Meg with an incredulous expression.

Castiel had to think back on all the times Lilith had oh-so-accidentally touched Dean. He was suddenly getting angry for no reason and snapped: “Oh, come on, like you didn’t notice how she looked at you. Or gets her hands all over you.”

There was an abrupt pause in their conversation and Castiel tried to melt into the sofa, hoping to make himself invisible. It obviously didn’t work as everyone kept staring at him – not least because of the bitter note in his scent. Dean’s eyes were wide – and he looked like he was about to say something, but only licked his lips. If he wanted to react to the smell of jealousy, now was probably not the best time. Crowley and Meg looked like they would like to bring out popcorn and enjoy the show, while Sam looked sheepishly at his hands like he had intruded a private conversation, and Eileen tried to hide a smile behind her hand.

It was Sam who started the conversation again by hinting that Azazel was still a good suspect as well – earning neither denial nor support for his theory from the rest of the group.

And to everyone’s surprise, Crowley’s money was on Cain.

“Come on, an alpha who lives in a place like this and claims to be still in love with his old mate? There is something off with that. He also tends to drive off in the evening and may be gone for mere hours, or days. And what is that weird obsession with bees?”

Castiel frowned – he kind of always understood the thing with the bees. Actually, it was one of the reasons that made him like the alpha. And he’d started to support Dean’s theory that Cain just didn’t want to leave the place he had been happy with his mate.

Eileen made helpless gestures with her hands. “We are just where we were weeks ago. Anyone could be the killer. Don’t forget about Dick Roman. Bored rich man looking for the ultimate kick. Maybe he had made an offer for those other omegas as well. Maybe their alphas had refused, and he came back to punish them.” She squinted her eyes in concentration. “Maybe he will even try to hurt you on the next New Moon.”

Dean growled: “Let him try.”

After that, the conversation came to a halt and the detectives got up to leave a few minutes later. There was a grumpy agreement between Dean and Crowley that they would share any important information if they found something.

At the door, Meg hugged Castiel.

“Well now, I must say I’m impressed, Clarence. You put on a good show there. Your acting skills seem to be a lot better than mine. I would have never guessed you were here for work – especially not after that happy scent after your heat last week.”

As he pulled back from her, Castiel’s eyes widened. She had talked lowly, so no one had heard her – right?

But as he turned around to leave the house, he saw Dean’s face tinged in a shade of pink while Sam’s jaw had dropped to the floor. Eileen plucked at his shirt, trying to figure out what had him so flustered as she was the only person who could not have heard Meg’s words.

 

>><< 

 

During the short way to their home, Sam kept glaring at Dean’s back, and Castiel was not at all surprised when he and Eileen followed them inside the house instead of leaving right away. Castiel took a few bottles of soda from the fridge and handed them around. As Dean started to drink the non-alcoholic beverage, Sam’s frown just deepened.

There was an awkward silence, then Dean cleared his throat. “So, Meg’s a private investigator. Who’d have thought, eh?”

Castiel made a noncommittal sound while Eileen still looked confused at her future mate, who opened his mouth twice like he was trying to speak but unable to form words. On the third attempt he said: “How about we look at this sprinkler, Dean?”

“The sprinkler?” The question came from Eileen.

“Yes, the one Azazel repaired. Maybe he has installed a camera or something. We should check it out.”

“A camera? In the sprinkler? The one that has been repaired weeks ago?”

“No harm in being thorough,” Sam insisted. “You two just wait here and let us have a look.” He raised from the sofa, and because Dean had not made any attempt to follow so far, maybe hoping Eileen would interrupt again, he added: “Dean. Outside. Now.”

With a sigh, Dean followed his brother and Castiel was left with Eileen.

“What was that about?”

Castiel shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He felt a bit guilty that she was the only one who did not know what was going on, but it was not like he would tell her that Sam had found out it was very, very likely that he had slept with Dean. During his heat.

Eileen narrowed her eyes at him, and not for a moment did Castiel think the woman believed him, but to his surprise, she let it go. She opened her mouth to say something, but at the same time Castiel heard another voice coming from somewhere behind him.

“What the hell, Dean! What were you thinking! I thought even you could keep it in your pants for a few weeks.”

Castiel twitched and under Eileen’s alert gaze, he tried to look neutral again. And not pay attention to the window behind him. Sam’s voice was loud enough to carry, but Dean’s rumbling answer was almost inaudible. He was probably trying to calm his brother with a low voice – and was standing farther away from the window.

“But in heat, Dean. I’ll be the last person to claim that omegas are weak and lust-driven, but the hormones make one a little bit more… susceptible to certain things. And I told you over and over again to stay away from Cas. This is a job. And it might get highly uncomfortable afterwards. Not to mention that Cas is not used to detective work, much less to going undercover with an alpha.”

Again, Dean answered, and Sam reacted with a surprised “huh” and then both men were too quiet in their next sentences to make out any words. Castiel noticed how his head was turning farther and farther to the side, desperate to hear more of their conversation. All the while, he was nodding and smiling at Eileen, trying to look like he was paying attention to her story. He made out “hunter abducted the girl” and assumed she was telling him about a case she was working on. He understood the girl had to do some housework and was only allowed to eat apples or something like that before he heard Sam again.

“Of course I won’t tell Jody. But I still think this is a dumb idea. And exactly the reason she did not want you for the job. And don’t think for a second Jody doesn’t know about your… _reputation._ ” The omega sighed. “You act before you think things through, Dean. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but sometimes it isn’t.”

Now, that wasn’t something Castiel liked to be reminded of. If Sam was hinting at what he suspected. He frowned and then Eileen snorted out: “Don’t look so sad, all ended well. She got her happily ever after.”

Castiel tried to smile again, like he was happy for the girl who had been abducted by the lonely hunter. For a second, he felt guilty he had not been more concerned about her fate and automatically hoped she was now reunited with her stepmother.

A second later, the two brothers stepped into the living room again.

“So? Any bugs in the irrigation system,” Castiel asked drily.

“Ahm… no. No, it is all good.” Sam looked at his partner. “Should we go now? It’s already rather late.”

At the door, both Sam and Eileen hugged Castiel, who said friendly: “Come back soon, you two.”

“Oh, we will,” Eileen said and then a wide grin showed on her face: “Maybe next time, I’ll tell you about Sleeping Beauty since you seemed to have enjoyed Snow White so much.”

Both Dean and Sam looked at the woman in confusion, then at Castiel – whose face had become a deep shade of red.

There was a wicked glint in Eileen’s eyes, and in the end, Castiel had to laugh with her. Despite the fact that he was still concerned about the things he had overheard from Sam.

As Dean and he waved after the leaving car a minute later, the omega noticed a movement in their neighbour’s garden. Through the dark, he saw Cain carry around a few boxes, probably something that had to do with his bees. But still, Castiel wondered at the late hour. He also remembered how he had dismissed the old man as a suspect because of supposed lack of strength, but by now, he knew that Cain Knight was a lot stronger than he looked.

When the old man waved at them with a wide smile, Castiel scoffed. It was probably only Crowley’s accusations that made the alpha suddenly look a lot more frightening to him than before.

 

>><< 

 

When they were back inside, Dean gently pulled Castiel towards him and breathed in deeply at his neck. He let out a pleased sigh, like he had wanted to do this the whole day. But when he looked down at the omega again, there was a slight frown on his face. Castiel suspected some of his thoughts had translated to his scent and Dean was picking up on it, unable to comprehend it.

“Now, that was all exciting, wasn’t it?” Castiel only nodded and Dean added: “I don’t know whether I should feel relieved that they don’t know much more than we do or disappointed.” There was another moment of silence. “Or do you think they are hiding something from us?”

Finally, Castiel answered: “No, I don’t. Crowley… maybe. But I got the impression that Meg was doing most of the work and she seemed happy to share. And I believe Crowley is more interested in catching the killer than simply to one-up you. And now we have more clues that the murderer actually lives here – or has at least some connection to the place.”

“Well, whatever the case… seems unlikely we can do anything else today. Maybe we should just sleep over it, try a new angle tomorrow.” Dean pulled Castiel towards him again and the omega let his head rest against the alpha’s shoulder for a moment. Then he remembered Sam’s words and he pulled back abruptly.

“I’m gonna take a shower.”

Dean let him go and a wicked smirk stole on his face – but it disappeared as soon as it had showed up when he saw Castiel’s guarded expression.

Castiel went upstairs and took a cold shower, trying to get the circles in his head to stop spinning. Sam had mentioned Dean’s reputation – and Castiel knew all about that. He knew the alpha was not picky with one-time flings. Maybe the alpha had gotten bored in the uneventful town of Little Heaven, and Castiel was some way of passing the time. Dean and he had agreed they did not want to tell the others about their… what? Their relationship? They had never specified on a term – yet Castiel had gladly accepted, fearing the gossip if anyone found out the detectives had taken their undercover work to the next level. But maybe Dean did not fear gossip, maybe he thought it would be easier this way to end things as soon as they would go back to their old lives.

When Castiel finally laid on the bed in just a pair of sweatpants and a plain shirt, he noticed that his shower had not helped. His scent was even more bitter than before. And he assumed Dean smelled it as soon as he came into the room, judging from the way the alpha halted in front of the bed and then walked directly to the bathroom without a word.

Ten minutes later, Dean laid down next to Castiel, and like his body had a will of its own, the omega was moving towards Dean, who happily wrapped his arms around him.

They lay like that for a while and Castiel managed to calm down a bit. He had probably just overreacted to a few words he picked up from a conversation he had not been supposed to hear. Dean felt so reassuring right now, and he would not play with Castiel this way, would not voluntarily deceit him.

“What’s bugging you, Cas?”

Castiel did not want to be too chicken to answer truthfully, bur neither was he ready to address his fears head-on, so he asked: “I… what are we, Dean?”

“Is that a philosophical question? Because then maybe you should ask Sammy. I’m afraid I don’t do the meaning-of-life-stuff.”

Castiel did not know whether Dean was just trying to buy some time or simply thought himself that funny. Maybe both.

“I mean… what happens when we go back to Greenville? With us?” His head still rested on Dean’s chest and he was glad he could not see the alpha’s face as he waited for an answer. He was too scared he would see reluctance or discontentment.

 “I don’t know, Cas. What do you want to happen to us?” There was an odd tone to Dean’s voice, the alpha sounded almost--- hesitant, careful.

“I want us to go on a date. Something boring and old-fashioned. Dinner and a movie maybe.”

Dean chuckled, and Castiel felt ridiculous. A date with someone who has shared a house – not to mention a bed – with you for weeks sounded pretty absurd.

“All right. Then we will go on a date,” Dean’s voice shook from laughter.

“And then, after a few dates, I would like to introduce you to Gabriel,” Castiel added.

“Sounds only fair. You already know Sam.”

Castiel propped himself up on the elbows and finally dared to look at the alpha’s face. There was nothing but sincerity there – and a hint of amusement.

“Really?” Castiel asked slightly breathless.

“Sure. What did you think? That we would only politely nod at each other in the breakroom occasionally?” Dean looked at Castiel and then something close to hurt flashed up on his face. “Seriously, Cas, did you think I just wanted to have a little fun here?”

Castiel ducked his head, suddenly embarrassed. Dean had been wonderful and attentive and caring since his heat, there was no reason to expect him to leave Castiel as soon as they were back home. Only his own self-doubt and some office-gossip.

“I thought it might be a possibility,” he mumbled out.

“Then let me tell you, I won’t let you off the hook so easily.” Dean reached upwards and kissed Castiel quickly. “No matter what others might think, I wouldn’t have started a meaningless fling on the job. Not worth the trouble. And even though some alphas like to broadcast something else, we won’t actually die from a few weeks without sex.” He frowned. “I thought it was obvious I wanted this to continue after we go back home, Cas. We can have all the dates you want to.”

It might not be a passionate confession of love, but for now, it was more than enough for Castiel. He wasn’t sure where his sudden doubt had come from; maybe being with the man he had been dreaming about for the better part of two years just felt kind of… unrealistic. Or maybe he should review a couple of his own prejudices about alphas. Or maybe it was stupid to draw conclusions after overhearing only parts of a private conversation.

Castiel hummed lightly when he felt Dean’s hands drawing circles over his back. He really liked that feeling.

“But I’m kind of glad you brought this up since Sam… well, he seemed to think I might have taken advantage of you.” There was some concern in the alpha’s voice that he didn’t quite manage to hide.

Castiel chuckled, deliberately letting Dean know how ridiculous that idea sounded to him. “Well, did you tell him that it was _me_ throwing myself at _you_?”

“Oh, is that what happened? I can’t really remember…” Dean said with a smirk. “I think it was definitely me who pulled you down onto the bed.”

“Yeah, but I attacked you first.” Castiel smirked, suddenly in a very different mood than half an hour ago. “Let me remind you…” He straddled Dean’s hips and pulled his own shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor without another look. Then he let his hands wander over Dean’s already naked chest and yelped as the alpha flipped them over without warning.

“Hm… yeah, I remember that sound.”

Castiel tried to glare up at the alpha but could not stop the smile from spreading on his face.

 “Hm… did you send me to get the condoms before or after I sucked on your nipples?”

Instead of an answer, Castiel just pulled Dean down and thus successfully managed to shut the alpha up.

An hour later, Dean, lying half atop of Castiel, hugging him like a giant cuddly toy, mumbled semi-asleep: “But I get to pick the movie. To make sure there’ll be no chick flicks.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that! No evil cliffhanger, just fluff! See, I can behave. ;-)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re almost done, lovelies. ;)  
> I guess the next update will also take about two weeks. I’m just glad I managed to post this just in time for my vacation. :-D

**NINE**

Dean let out a loud moan, and, judging from the way he carefully rocked his hips up, Castiel assumed that the alpha was finally completely awake. He did not even look up, though, but kept his lips wrapped around the alpha’s cock, sucking and licking as he had done for the last ten minutes.

Surprisingly, Castiel had woken up before Dean for once, feeling the alpha’s half-hard cock rubbing against his hips, and impulsively decided to give the other man a rather stimulating wake-up-call.

He felt gentle hands running through his hair, and moments later, Dean tugged at Castiel’s head, indicating he was close to release and giving him the opportunity to pull back. But the omega kept bobbing his head up and down until Dean came with a muffled groan.

Castiel let go before Dean’s knot could form and slowly crawled up Dean’s body, kissing and nipping at various body parts on the way until he reached the alpha’s lips. When he pulled back again, Dean looked breathless, and Castiel felt smug at the thought that he was responsible for the alpha’s blissed-out expression and the distinctly happy scent surrounding him.

“That was quite a way to wake up,” Dean said hoarsely – voice rough from sleep as well as his orgasm.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Castiel smirked down at Dean, and then, after another quick peck on the alpha’s lips, he rose from the bed and walked towards the bathroom without another comment.

“Hey! Where is my post-coital cuddle session?”

Castiel chuckled. Dean might never admit it in public, but he loved to snuggle. And they both knew it – so he wasn’t even trying to deny it anymore.

“No time. I need to pack for the picnic after church.”

Just as he said those words, the clock next to Castiel’s side of the bed gave off a horrible sound, and Dean turned the alarm off with a loud groan. This time, the sound was far less happy than before.

In the end, even though Castiel did try to hurry, the couple arrived at church just barely in time – since Dean had followed him into the shower and insisted on returning the favour of a very sensual morning greeting.

 

>><< 

 

The day before the church picnic, they had discussed affairs and exchanged information with Crowley and Meg again. Since the private investigators had arrived in Little Heaven before the last murder took place, Meg’s notes might have helped eliminating some suspects, or point out others. But the only persons they could tell with 100 percent certainty were away overnight during the last New Moon Murder were Cain and Lucifer. Lilith obviously had returned from some business trip just the day before and both Meg and Crowley deemed it unlikely she would have left the following day again. And the Romans even had a few of Dick’s manager buddies over that evening. But in the end, Meg could not tell for sure if someone hadn’t left the town late at night and returned home before dawn. All of the murder scenes were close enough for it to be at least possible. And of course, in Azazel’s case, he could have been anywhere since it was almost impossible to observe his actions

Castiel was getting nervous. In just a few days, it would be New Moon again – and for some reasons, he felt more unsettled than he had been four weeks ago. There had always been a pause of a few months between the murders, but the interval had been shorter the last time – three moon cycles instead of the previous four. Maybe the killer was now content with only two.

Some part of his brain tried to tell him that maybe a new murder would bring new clues – something that Benny had mentioned the last time he had come over to visit – but Castiel refused to wish for a new victim just in order to catch the killer. He would very much prefer if they stumbled on some evidence by accident. He would even be glad if Crowley caught the bad guy, no matter how much he would bicker about police work again, or how much Dean would grumble about it.

The picnic in the meadow behind the church was fairly amiable, without too much of the usual alpha posture. Not all of the town’s residents were present, Cain was missing for example, and Castiel could not see Lilith nor Alastair, but there were still at least fifty people gathered around. The weather was perfect, and Castiel spent most of the afternoon sitting on a big blanket, chatting with other omegas. There were children playing all over the place and when he closed his eyes and turned his head towards the sun, he could almost imagine he was on vacation. At least for a while – until he remembered he had a job to do.  

He let his eyes wander over the group of people and wondered if a vicious killer was playing alongside the kids. He also pondered if the person who had watched him and Dean having almost-sex on the couch a few days ago was present. That thought sent a chilling feeling down his back. He tried not to let it show in front of Dean, but the fact that someone might be observing them made him antsy.

For what seemed like the hundredth time, he used the opportunity to gossip with some of the omegas in the hopes to find out something important about their mates. The next New Moon would be on Saturday, and he was focused to find out if anyone had any plans to leave town that weekend. He learned from Naomi that Dick would be visited by some nephew, Edgar, who would bring his new mate along – a young male omega. For the first time since he knew her, Naomi’s tone was quite chilling when she talked about her alpha. Maybe she was not as ignorant about his interest in male omegas as Castiel had assumed. The new information did not make him eliminate Dick from his list of suspects, but at least he assumed he would not look for any couples to slaughter on the next New Moon. Not while he had such interesting guests. Castiel just hoped this nephew would not be happy to share his mate. He assumed most alphas would be too possessive to even consider one of Dick’s offers.

After an exhausting conversation with first Naomi, and then Olivia – where he learned absolutely nothing new about Dr Styne, because the girl hardly answered anything else than _yes_ or _no_ – Castiel sat down in the shades of a tree, next to Tessa and Meg. He closed his eyes for a second and sighed at the peaceful silence. Maybe he had done enough work for one afternoon. He looked around for Dean but didn’t see him. Maybe he was meeting up somewhere with Crowley, the two alphas comparing notes and trying to trump each other.  

Castiel listened to the conversation of the two women next to him and learned from Tessa that her mate had contacted a real estate agent to find some interested parties for their house.

“And once we find a buyer, we’ll move to the city. Billy’s really excited about it.” Tessa chuckled. “When I told her I was finally ready to sell the home I grew up in, she even hurried over to Lilith’s to ask her for advice.”

“To Lilith? I don’t think we are talking about the same Billy here,” Meg said in a very dry tone, and Castiel shared her surprise. It was no secret that there was no love lost between Little Heaven’s two female alphas. But then again, Billy seemed to dislike most of the residents of this community.

“Billy might not like her very much, but Lilith is a very successful realtor, there is no doubt about it. However, she said to my mate she’s not interested in selling private homes; her goal is to attract important businesmen to Kensington. And our _shack_ – that is what she said – is not even close to her price margin.”

Castiel, Meg and Tessa rolled their eyes simultaneously.

“So, the blooming friendship between Billy and Lilith was rather short-lived, I reckon?”

Tessa snorted at Meg’s remark. A few moments later, the women packed up their stuff as their alphas came to take them home. Castiel stashed the empty plates in his basket and looked around, searching for Dean again.

“Looking for your alpha, Castiel?”

Castiel twitched – he had not heard Alastair approach, but he tried to keep his face neutral, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction to notice he had scared him. Alastair seemed the type of person who would enjoy that. He was also mildly surprised that the other omega had approached him in the first place since he could not remember Alastair had ever talked to him before without absolutely needing to do so.

“Yes, but I am sure he will be back soon.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” A smirk appeared on the face of the man with the rotten scent. “My mate seems to be missing as well, and knowing her, your alpha might be caught up for some time…”

It were not only his words that rattled Castiel, but more the tone of his voice. Like there was no doubt for Alastair what was going on right now. Castiel thought about it and had to admit he had not seen Dean for a while. Until two seconds ago, this hadn’t bothered him, but now he felt jealousy tinge his scent.

Alastair’s creepy smile only widened.

Before Castiel could form an answer, he saw Dean walking towards him in a fast pace. He let out a relieved sigh and raised his chin, so he could talk down to Alastair, even though he was slightly taller than him.

“Well, I don’t know where your mate is, but mine seems to be in a hurry to get home.”

Alastair’s head jerked in Dean’s direction, then he looked back at Castiel. He sneered, and his scent became nearly overwhelming, but Castiel could not decipher all of his emotions, partly because they seemed so contradictory and there was no telling whom those feelings were directed at. There was anger, but also a weird form of excitement. Maybe he was disappointed his joke on Castiel had not worked out, but also relieved his mate was not cheating on him with Dean.

Castiel shook his head – he probably would never be able to make sense of Alastair, no matter how hard he tried.

“Hey, Cas. Ready to go?”

Dean’s tone was unusually tense, and even though he smiled, there were no wrinkles around his eyes.

Castiel only picked up his basket and with a short nod in Alastair’s direction, he followed his pretend-mate down the road, always walking a step behind his alpha. But he waited until they were inside the house until he asked:

“What happened, Dean?” He frowned. “Did Dick talk to you again? Did you punch him?”

Castiel would always deny he had sounded almost hopeful in that last question.

“No. Lilith had me trapped.”

Castiel was prepared to be hit with that wave of jealousy again, but it didn’t come. Maybe his brain had started to work again – and that knew very well that Dean was not even slightly interested in the female alpha – or maybe it was the fact that Dean did not look like he had been happy to run into Lilith. Not one bit.

“And?”

“Well… ahem… she might have tried to seduce me. Right there, behind the church!”

“And?”

“I turned her down, of course. Told her I wasn’t interested. That two alphas should not be together like that. That it was wrong, even between man and woman.”

Castiel’s frown only deepened at Dean’s outraged tone. “Is that what you think? That alphas should not be in a relationship? Or two omegas?”

Dean blinked, surprised by the question. “It sounded like something Dean Smith would say, don’t you think? Frankly, _I_ don’t care who’s getting it on for who – but alphas definitely don’t work for _me_. And I told her as much.”

Castiel almost felt bad for Lilith – he knew that relationships between two alphas were heavily frowned upon. Maybe he should remember from time to time that omegas were not the only ones who had to fight against prejudice in this society.

 

>><< 

 

When Dean and Castiel had just finished dinner, Meg and Crowley knocked at their door. Castiel hoped that the other residents of Little Heaven did not find it too curious how friendly the two alphas suddenly seemed with each other. He had at least seen Cain frown from his garden when they had met the third day in a row. Castiel remembered that their widowed neighbour had never been enthusiastic about the Crowleys.

“We decided to follow Lucifer next weekend,” Meg said before she was even through the door.

“Huh?”

Crowley explained: “I just invited him over, said I would have a little dinner with a few neighbours, but he told me he had previous engagements. He would be away for the next weekend, on a business affair.”

“You know, next weekend, the New Moon,” Meg added when neither Castiel nor Dean said anything. “Like I said before, he had never been in Little Heaven at the times of the last murders. So we decided we would follow him to wherever he goes.”

“But maybe he doesn’t even have anything planned, maybe he just doesn’t want to go to your dinner party. I’m sure I would have tried that excuse had you asked _me_ over,” Dean said, and Crowley glared at him.

Castiel elbowed his partner, and Dean didn’t add anything to his comment though there still was a smirk on his face.

“But how will you follow him? I mean… won’t he notice your car? Or he might take a plane in the end.”

Meg just smiled: “Oh, I have my ways.”

Castiel glared at her, assuming she was about to do something not-quite-legal.

She shrugged: “Come on, you told me you couldn’t arrest him or even get a search warrant with as little evidence as we have. And where is the harm if we just accidentally end up at the same place as him?”

Castiel did not know what to say to that.

“She’s right, Cas.” Dean pinched his nose. “That might be a good idea. We won’t be able to arrest anyone without evidence, but maybe we could talk to Jody. Get some police stationed around the place who will follow anyone who leaves.”

Castiel agreed that the idea was not stupid. He and Dean could keep an eye on Little Heaven and inform the officers if any of their suspects – which were still just too many – left. They could hardly station anyone on the streets unfortunately since Little Heaven was not exactly a busy place – and any unknown vehicle would immediately draw attention. But luckily, there were only two streets leading out of town.

When they talked to Jody on Monday morning, the Captain agreed to have a few officers ready to follow suspects as well as possible. Though she did not sound very enthusiastic about this solution.

“We could do this to Azazel Amber as well, considering Sam is consistently bugging me that he is the most likely killer.” She sighed. “And I agree. He certainly had opportunity and he is the only one we can at least tie to some of the crime scenes so far.”

Castiel got excited at Jody’s intention to have their suspects monitored outside of Little Heaven. He might not suspect Azazel, but he felt relieved that they would follow anyone who left Little Heaven on the next New Moon.

“This is great news, Captain. Meg and Crowley already have Lucifer covered, but they sure could use some back-up. And at least that way, it would be unlikely that whoever the murderer is – or are – they will have no chance of attacking another innocent couple.”

Castiel felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get your hopes up, Cas. There is no guarantee this strategy will work.”

“Dean is right, Detective Novak. I know it always sounds easy to just drive behind someone and observe what they are up to, but it isn’t. Following someone undetected it not easy – and needs quite a few officers and expensive equipment. And without any tracking device, you still can easily lose someone in traffic.”

“I told you we should have put bugs on everyone’s car weeks ago,” Dean grumbled out.

Jody sighed. “And I told you I can’t have multiple people observed without anything to go by. Bring me some evidence on someone specific, and I will turn their houses upside down, but we can’t monitor innocent citizens without probable cause.”

Dean scoffed, but before the alpha could say anything, Castiel interrupted: “We understand, Jody. If we notice something, we will inform you and our guys can try to follow them. We need to abide to the law, of course.”

Dean still looked like he wasn’t happy, but neither did he openly disagree.

“How are you holding up otherwise? After all, we had planned to make this mission shorter than it already is.” There was something in her voice that Castiel could not define, but she sounded warm. “Have you already tried to murder Dean in his sleep, Castiel, or are you blessed with inhumane patience?”

“Hey!” Dean yelled out while Castiel chuckled.

“I won’t deny I haven’t thought about it, but once you get to know him, Dean is not half bad,” Castiel teased, and Dean sent him a hurt look while he dramatically clasped his hands over his heart without any sound. Castiel had to bite his lips to stop himself from laughing. “Truly, I am fine, Captain. I think we both will be able to go on for some more weeks.”

True to his word, Sam had obviously told no one – other than Eileen – about the change of their relationship. And Castiel liked that he did not have to worry about what his colleagues might think if they knew he had started something during their assignment. He had become quite close with Donna and Charlie, and even Benny had somehow grown on him. He could wait until they found out what was going on – Donna and Charlie were making enough lewd remarks already (only when Dean was absent, of course, they were no monsters). He did not need them to increase their teasing innuendo.

“We’ll see about that. Let’s wait out the next Moon, but I intend to relieve you sooner rather than later. If only to avoid another encounter with your brother, Novak.”

“What?” Castiel squeaked out, and Dean raised an eyebrow at him.

“That is what he said, at least. Funny, I thought you didn’t have any family left.”

“Gabriel?” Castiel’s voice was still embarrassingly high.

“Short, dark hair, thinks he is even funnier than Dean here?” Castiel only whimpered. “He came into my office on Friday and demanded I tell him where you are. That the talk of advanced training in a secret facility was obviously bullshit. I think he did not trust your short messages anymore.”

That was the only way Castiel was allowed to communicate with his brother – via occasional text messages. Thinking about it, Castiel’s texts had become shorter and fewer the last two weeks. Mostly because he was scared Gabriel would be able to read between the lines and find out about Dean. It was sometimes scary how much Gabriel seemed to know after just one innocent sentence. But obviously, Castiel’s carefulness had resulted in Gabriel worrying about his well-being. Castiel might have thought it touching – if Gabriel hadn’t stormed into his boss’ office without warning him first.

“And then there is that forensics guy who always lurks around Donna or Charlie, and ever-so-subtle brings you up in any conversation. They both say he is so charming they might tell him where you are by accident.”

When they ended the phone call with their Captain a few minutes later, Dean laughed out loudly while Castiel was red in the face, completely embarrassed by the behaviour of his closest friends.

 

>><< 

 

During the whole week, Castiel felt more anxious with every passing day. He spent most of his time watching his fellow omegas and their mates, and suddenly everything seemed suspicious to him. He was strangely on edge, and the fact that someone had watched him and Dean through the window had not helped – since then he felt the need to constantly look over his shoulder, afraid someone was watching him the whole time. For a moment he had hoped it had been Meg or Crowley – but both denied it. But then, of course, there was still the possibility he had just imagined it all.

His highlight of every day was still Dean. He felt an excited flutter in his stomach every time the alpha came back home. And Dean seemed to share that feeling – at least Castiel assumed as much from the high number of text messages he received from Dean throughout the day. At least every other hour, Dean was asking him what he was doing now or made a surprisingly unfunny joke about his work. He sometimes even tried to start something the alpha referred to as _sexting_ – but whenever he did, Castiel blushed heavily and sent a painfully sober reply. To Castiel’s relief, the alpha wasn’t disappointed at Castiel’s utter failure in flirting via text messages – but he did enjoy making fun of him for it.

As Castiel was preparing dinner on another Friday night, just before New Moon, he sorted through his seemingly endless list of suspects.

There was the caretaker Azazel who crept around the place even when he did not seem to have a specific assignment. And what alpha owner of a national company would fix dripping faucets personally anyway?

And speaking of creeps – there was still Lucifer who liked to mark Little Heaven as his territory and looked at every omega like they were a delicious meal. Not to mention his history of trying to _seduce_ mated omegas. Maybe that had been just a start and then he had moved on from simply raping them to murder.

Which also seemed like a possible train of thought for Dick Roman. The man obviously had a preference for male omegas – and it might be likely that he felt resentful for any alpha who denied him their mates.

And then there was the spine-chilling Dr Styne. Castiel could not keep the rumours out of his head that he was responsible for the mysterious disappearance of various puppies and kittens. Wasn’t that the textbook beginning of a serial killer right there?

And no matter what Dean thought about a woman being unlikely to have murdered eight men, Castiel still had Lilith on his list. But he was honest enough to admit this might have to do with the way she looked at his mate. At least partially. But the murders probably weren’t so much about wanting the omegas anyway. Since the beginning, Castiel had thought the way the omegas had been raped was mainly staged for the alpha’s punishment. But Lilith could hardly have raped them. Unless she’d used one of her dildos.

Then there was Alastair who had started to look at Castiel with an odd expression anytime he had seen him during the week. But Castiel did not know what it meant. Even though Alastair was the only omega in Little Heaven he thought capable of murder, he could not have sneaked away from his alpha and stolen her car, could he? But maybe he was the one who had taken all the puppies. That seemed something he would do.

Castiel was looking out of his kitchen window and saw Cain working in front of his garage, chopping wood like he had done every day of the last week. Ever since Crowley had pointed his finger at the widower, Castiel felt his hackles raise whenever he saw the alpha. Only then had he started to notice how often he saw Cain. Every time they opened the door, Cain was working in his garden or somewhere around the house, having a perfect view on anything that was going on at their place. And then there were the sudden getaways overnight. For example, on the last New Moon.

And the night Castiel had seen that figure at the window – when Dean had run out to look for their observer, who had he run into? Cain. Working in his open garage.

Castiel watched the man outside while he absent-mindedly stirred the stew on the stove.  Still deep in thought, he heard a car being turned off and a noise at the front door. But he didn’t turn around and kept glaring at his neighbour. Not for the first time did Castiel notice how strong the alpha still seemed to be as he easily lifted the big tree logs. His eyes fixed on the alpha’s hands that gripped the heavy axe tightly. And as the man hit down on the wood, Castiel thought how easily he might carve that blade into a warm body. Castiel’s pulse sped up at the image jumping up in his mind’s eye.

Suddenly, Cain turned around and met Castiel’s gaze – and waved at him with a wide smile. Castiel felt a sudden pang of adrenaline at being caught watching – and, completely on instinct while his brain seemed to have left him for the moment, he quickly crouched down to the floor, so he would not be seen from outside the window anymore.

And that was how Dean found him when he walked into the kitchen at that exact moment.

“Cas? What’s wrong?” The worry was obvious in Dean’s voice - and his whole body tensed up like he was preparing for a fight with a possible enemy.

Castiel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was behaving utterly ridiculous. But he could not help feeling relieved that Dean had returned home – the tension left his body every time the alpha was there. He made him feel safe.

Castiel scoffed. Safe from what? Their friendly neighbour who had been nothing but kind to him?

He started to chuckle.

“Cas?”

Castiel looked up and saw Dean hovering over him – the alpha was obviously confused. First, he found his partner sitting on the floor with wide eyes – then suddenly he was shaking with giggles.

“I’m fine, Dean. Just… you know, when both you and Jody said that undercover work might affect me? I think you were right. I am going crazy.”

Dean frowned. “Why are you sitting on the floor, Cas?”

“To hide from Cain.” He noticed himself how weird that sounded and started to laugh again. He also noticed he must appear more than a bit hysterical. “I mean, I was watching him and then he saw me and --- whoops --- I hid from him on the floor.”

“So, you looked out of your kitchen window where he was chopping wood right in your view? And he saw you – looking out of the window next to the stove you’ve been cooking on?”

“Yep, that is what I mean.”

Dean suddenly tugged on both of Castiel’s arms until the omega was lifted from the floor and the unexpected movement had him nearly crash into the alpha’s chest. Dean wrapped his arms around him tightly and Castiel automatically nestled his head at his shoulder, breathing in the alpha’s scent for a few moments.

When Castiel sobered up again, Dean mumbled: “I think you’re right, Cas. You _are_ going crazy. Maybe we should tell Jody this is getting too much for a weak little omega like you and get you home.”

Castiel leaned backwards and looked into the alpha’s face – there was mirth glinting in his eyes, despite the alpha’s otherwise solemn expression. “Assbutt,” Castiel grumbled and punched the alpha not-too-lightly on the arm, but not hard enough to hurt either. “That’s for calling me weak.”

At that comment, Dean let out a low rumbling laugh. “There you are again.” He captured Castiel’s lips in a quick, surprising kiss. “I’d rather have you punch me than huddled on the floor, reeking of fear.”

One of Dean’s hands had found its way into Castiel’s hair and the omega leaned into the touch like a cat; almost purring like one, too.

“That was stupid, I know. But why does he need so much firewood anyway? It’s summer and uncommonly hot.”

Dean chuckled. “You know you prepare for winter while it is warm. No fun having to make firewood in the snow.”

Castiel scoffed. “You just don’t think he is a killer.”

“No, I don’t. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still be careful.” Dean let his hand rest on Castiel’s shoulder. He smiled. “But maybe not so careful as to hide on the floor for simply looking out the window.”

Castiel groaned. “You’re right. But like I said, I think I am getting a bit paranoid.”

“Welcome to the club then. Took you long enough to get there.”

Castiel looked at Dean in surprise.

“Have you not noticed how I go out and look around the house every night after dinner? And then again before we go to bed? Or the dozens of texts I send you each day to make sure you’re all right? After that little surprise with Meg, I am nervous someone less-friendly will find out about us. About you. When you’re alone.”

Castiel raised his chin. “I tried to be more careful after Meg found me snooping around. And I think I can look after myself.”

“I know you can, baby. Doesn’t mean I’m not worried. Or that I didn’t want to call in sick and stay with you all week. You know, as badass as you might be, sometimes things just go wrong. Can happen to all of us.”

Dean stepped back and rubbed a hand over his neck, looking sheepishly towards the floor. Castiel felt a warm feeling in his stomach. He very much liked that Dean trusted he could defend himself, as much as he liked that he cared about him enough to worry. He also liked the thought he was not the only one starting to feel paranoid. Maybe Jody was right and they should think about ending this mission in the foreseeable future. He somehow doubted they would suddenly find anything significant just because they stayed a few more weeks. By now, he thought the only thing that could help them was sheer luck.

“Thank you, Dean. It means a lot that you… what is that smell?”

Dean was the first to react and hurriedly pulled the fuming stew from the stove.

“Oh no. I borrowed that pot from Naomi!”

Dean simply laughed at Castiel’s horrified expression.

“This isn’t funny. She’ll kill me if I can’t clean it properly.”

Luckily, they were able to save at least most of the food.

 

>><< 

 

It was New Moon on Saturday.

Meg had come over to hug Castiel goodbye before she and Crowley set out to follow Lucifer to wherever he would go. Castiel did not tell them that they would be followed by police officers as well, though he was fairly sure that Meg would easily notice it once they left Little Heaven. Dean had promised Crowley to keep an eye on Cain and that there was already a unit waiting to get on his tail should he leave the community.

Billy and Tessa had also left Little Heaven for the weekend, and they too were followed by a couple of officers to make sure they headed for Billy’s family. No one thought it was likely they were about to do anything illegal, but Jody wanted to be sure.

And Dean and Castiel were busy all day, trying to find out where everyone else was going to be throughout the night.

For example, Castiel had knocked at Naomi’s door to return the casserole he had previously borrowed just to have an excuse to come by and check if their visitors had already arrived. He had even managed to clean it from all the burnt meat from the night before. When she opened the door, Naomi did not look happy at all – and she even refrained from chiding Castiel about his cooking skills or his messy hair for once. To his own surprise, Castiel felt bad for her. As much as he had come to dislike Naomi, her life with an alpha like Dick Roman could not be easy. Maybe he should come back and tell her about her options once this case was over. He should not only worry about the omegas he liked after all, but every one of them. Even Alastair.

And that was where he was headed next.

After he had made sure that the Romans were in fact visited by family members – and at least _unlikely_ to leave the house overnight – Castiel brought his least favourite omega a quarter of a cake. In was already late in the afternoon when he told Alastair that he had too much leftovers from the previous day – and hoped the other man would not find it too suspicious. After all, never before had Castiel seemed too eager to seek him out of his own accord. He sugar-coated his explanation by the fact that both Meg and Tessa were away for the weekend, to make it seem more likely why he was calling on him.

To his surprise, Alastair accepted the plate graciously and even invited Castiel inside, with an excited expression. The omega seemed almost giddy as he led Castiel to the kitchen. The detective felt a bit off-guard, but he accepted the invitation because he had noticed how Lilith’s car was not parked in the driveway, and maybe Alastair would tell him more about her whereabouts. After all, Castiel had come over to investigate – even though he hadn’t expected to share more than a few words with Alastair.

“Will you stay and eat a piece with me, Castiel? I’ll make us coffee.”

Castiel was surprised at the benign tone and answered politely: “I already ate too much yesterday, but I’ll be happy with just some coffee. Thank you.” Castiel sat at the kitchen table while Alastair turned around to get some cups and plates. “Where is your mate, Al? Is she still on her business trip?”

Alastair put milk and sugar on the table, still smiling dreamily. Castiel thought this was a completely different person than he had ever met before. Maybe it had to do with the absence of both Lilith and Naomi. Maybe Alastair was not as horrible as he had always thought. Even his scent was not as nauseating as usual – there was a hint of delight and excitement that subdued the stench of rotten eggs.

But when Alastair touched Castiel’s fingers as he handed him a cup, Castiel’s skin suddenly felt too hot where Alastair had stroked over it, and his hackles raised. But the omega opposite him was still smiling and acting like the perfect host.

“Oh, Lilith is out to get a few things form Kensington.” Castiel frowned. He didn’t think he had ever heard Alastair using the first name of his mate before. “She’ll take a while, don’t worry. You’ll be safe at home with your mate before she returns.”

Castiel looked around and noticed a bunch of cleaning supplies on the kitchen cabinet. There were all sorts of cleansers and purifiers, even high-performance scent blockers.

“Are you about to clean the house? I didn’t want to interrupt…”

Castiel’s voice died when Alastair turned around again. He stood before Castiel with a big, sharp kitchen knife in his hand. Castiel almost jumped up, eyes on the omega’s hands, ready to defend himself. But with the same absent-minded smile, Alastair simply carved a piece off the cake Castiel had brought and finally sat down next to him. Castiel let out a soundless sigh of relief and almost chuckled at his wild imagination.

“Oh no, this can wait.” Alastair still smiled – Castiel thought he was looking way too happy at the prospect of wiping this big house. “I am glad for a short break with cake and nice company.”

Now, Castiel felt goose-bumps over his arms again. Alastair was behaving more than a little bit strange. Castiel quickly gulped down some of the hot coffee to hide his frown. Next second, he coughed and nearly spit the coffee back into the mug – then he put two spoonsful of sugar in his cup. The beverage was almost unbearably bitter.

“Oh, is it too strong? I am sorry, we like the taste.”

Castiel just waved it off with a grimace and sipped at the mug again.

 Alastair took his time eating while both men made some random remarks about Little Heaven and their mate’s work. It felt like the longest hour in Castiel’s life. When Alastair was finally finished, Castiel did not waste time until he left, claiming he had to prepare dinner before Dean returned. It was a fairly bad excuse, not only because it was already past six by now.

“Oh? Your alpha is out of town?”

 “No, he is just… meeting with Cain Knight. But he should be back soon.”

Castiel left the still half-full mug of now too-sweet coffee on the table and said his goodbyes to the oddly pleased looking Alastair.

Hastily, Castiel walked back to his home. His heart beat so fast, Castiel thought it might jump out of his chest. He took deep breaths, but his nerves did not calm down. He had overreacted again, if only for a second, assuming Alastair might butcher him in his own kitchen with a pleased, creepy smile on his face. His heart didn’t stop racing however, and Castiel was starting to feel dizzy from it. He suspected the coffee might have been too strong for his blood pressure.

Dean had not yet returned from his investigating tour and Castiel picked up the phone to tell Charlie that he could not verify where Lilith Seal was at the moment – but that her mate said she’d return any time now. He would call again once he knew more.

As soon as Castiel had ended the call, he wanted to sit down on the couch since he still felt weirdly dazed, but then the doorbell rang.

He looked through the window in the hallway and saw Alastair, holding the plate in hands that Castiel had just brought him less than an hour ago. That was quick – he must have left just moments after Castiel.

The detective opened the door, intent to send the other omega on his way as quickly as possible.

The man in front of him was still all creepy smiles. “Here, Castiel, I have cleaned your plate.”

“Thank you. You didn’t have to…”

Castiel tumbled. The dizziness from before returned and his view suddenly got blurry.

“Oh, Castiel, are you feeling unwell?” Alastair’s tone was inappropriately cheery for the worried question.

But Castiel had no chance to reply as he suddenly lost consciousness.

The last thing he noticed was Alastair catching him before he could fall to the ground.

 

>><< 

 

When Castiel woke up, he let out a content sigh.

He was in his bed and Dean’s scent filled the air all around him, or at the very least the bed sheets. He was still tired and ready to just turn around and fall back into sleep again as he breathed in deeply – and suddenly felt the urge to vomit.

Rotten eggs.

“Hey there, Castiel. You woke up early.”

Castiel managed to open his eyes for a second and saw Alastair sitting on a chair right next to him. His vision was still blurry however, and he had to fight to not fall back into sleep again. Sleep sounded wonderful, every part of his body seemed to agree. But it was not right. Seeing Alastair in his bedroom was just not right.

“Wha?”

Castiel tried to ask a question, but neither his mind nor his mouth seemed up to the task.

“Hush, Castiel. You should sleep some more. We need to wait for your mate before we can start. Otherwise, it’s only half as much fun.”

Dean. Castiel felt relief wash over him just from thinking that name. He tried to concentrate on what had happened, how he came to lie on the bed with Alastair next to him. He managed to sort some hazy memories about sitting in the kitchen in Lilith’s house. And then Alastair was at his door, followed by blackness. He was sure this line of events was no coincidence, and neither was Alastair here to hold his hand until he would be feeling better again.

Castiel tried to sit up, but either he was still too tired, or his body didn’t like to listen to him anymore. Either way, his limbs felt too heavy to move. He did not know how long he had lain here, but maybe Dean was already aware what had happened. Maybe he had called back-up. Castiel tried to cling to the hope that Dean would soon burst through the door like a knight in shining armour. He might even let him make fun of the helpless omega afterwards. Castiel looked at Alastair again, and only now noticed the big knife in his hands. He thought he had seen it before but could not remember where or when.

While his mind was still trying to tell him things he was unable to comprehend, Castiel heard the front door downstairs close with a loud thud. Then a booming voice: “Cas? You upstairs? Cain said he is going on a fishing trip tonight. He is just packing his car. And I already texted Jody.”

Castiel’s body twitched, but not in the way he had intended to. And the next second, he felt a knife at his throat.

“Shh, stay quiet, little omega. You don’t want me to slice your pretty throat, do you? Think about how sad your alpha would be then.”

Castiel thought that Alastair was giving him too much credit; he would have still warned Dean, but the dizziness kept him from reacting fast enough and no words wanted to come out of his mouth. He blinked once – and it felt like five minutes before he could open his eyes again. He heard footsteps on the stairs and felt hope and fear fighting in his stomach, almost making him throw up. Or maybe that was the drug. Or Alastair’s scent.

“Cas?”

But even though he was only halfway awake, two against one seemed manageable. Dean was strong. He could easily take on Alastair. Even with the knife.

Castiel heard a loud crashing sound and a yell.

Then nothing.

But maybe that was just because he had dripped out of consciousness again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave kudos and comments. They make me very happy. (Unless you yell at me for absolutely no reason.) :-D


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This it is, guys. ;)  
> I hope you enjoyed reading this little fic even half as much as I did writing. Let me know. :-D

**TEN**

 

“Heaven, I’m in heaven. And my heart beats so I can hardly speak…”

Castiel tried to open his eyes, but it seemed to be a Herculean task. Not only because of the stabbing headache. He could feel the soft mattress beneath him, and an arm around his shoulders held him tightly against another person’s body. But the touch did not feel the least bit comforting. Nor did the stench in the room. There was something cold grazing up and down his arm that tickled him uncomfortably. Before his eyes managed to function again, Castiel’s mind sent him disorientated images of what had happened – and suddenly he remembered why his body felt so heavy and did not listen to him as it should. Alastair had drugged him. The same Alastair that was now lying next to him on the bed and crooned horribly into his ear.

“…and I seem to find the happiness I seek…”

Castiel tried to put his memories in order. Alastair had a knife. That was probably what was now scraping lightly over his arm. And then there was Dean. Castiel had definitely heard Dean in the house, calling him from downstairs.

“… when we’re out together, dancing cheek to cheek.”

The thought of the alpha helped Castiel to finally fight the fatigue and he opened his eyes, anxious to find out what had happened to his partner. The fact that Castiel was still on the bed, next to Alastair, had him think it could be nothing good. He sat up abruptly, surprising his capturer – and Castiel let out a hiss as the knife had cut into his arm at his sudden movement.

“Aw, little omega, awake at last.”

Castiel ignored him – his eyes were fixed on Dean, who sat on a chair in front of the bed, his arms obviously bound together behind his back, and the legs tied to the stool. His head rested on his chest – the alpha seemed unconscious. Or Castiel hoped that was all it was. His gaze was fixed on the man he loved until he noticed the pulsation at his neck and the soft movement of his chest. Despite their horrible situation, Castiel let out a sigh of relief. Dean was not dead. He could work from there.

“Don’t worry, your alpha is just… _indisposed_ for the moment. He will join us soon,” Alastair slurred into his ear and Castiel’s whole body shivered in disgust as he was overwhelmed with the stench of sulphur and a slight trickle of spit on his face as the other man talked.

“It’s not the same when they are sleeping. Not nearly as entertaining. I like it when they watch.”

Castiel still looked at Dean. How had Alastair managed to knock him out? He was trying to remember, but his mind was just too lazy. Or maybe he had been unconscious while the men fought. His gaze was still fixed on Dean’s neck – and the alpha’s fast beating pulse. He clasped to it like a lifeline. Something told him that Dean might not be as out as he appeared to be. It could be wishful thinking but maybe the alpha was trying to buy them some time since Alastair seemed patient enough to just wait for the alpha to wake up. At least for now. So Castiel tried to do the same. Buy them some time.

“Watch?”

Alastair let a hand run through Castiel’s hair while the other one scratched the knife over his chest. Only now did Castiel realise he wasn’t wearing a shirt anymore and his whole body seemed to be covered in goose bumps, more from fear than cold. The knife did not draw blood, but it felt uncomfortable enough to have Castiel hiss out. Alastair seemed to like those kind of reactions.

“What should he watch?” Castiel asked again in an attempt to play along, even though he was pretty sure he wouldn’t like the answer.

“When I stuff you full with my big cock, of course. Those alphas are always so jealous when they see how I can make their omegas scream.” Alastair pulled at Castiel’s hair almost painfully. “I’ve seen you, Castiel. Your alpha might make you moan and writhe, but he can never make you scream. Not like I can.”

Castiel felt the revulsion tighten his throat, thinking about how Alastair might have watched him and Dean. And even more so at the thought of what Alastair was planning to do to him. Judging from the light hold on him, Castiel assumed that the other omega obviously thought Castiel was still too weak – or maybe just too scared – to do anything, and he decided to use the momentum of surprise as long as he had it on his side. He tried to use his fear as much as his anger to make his body follow his orders.

After a deep breath and more concentration than it should have taken, Castiel suddenly grabbed Alastair’s hand and tried to push the knife towards the thin man’s throat. But he was still too weak and after a short struggle, Alastair howled in anger and scratched at Castiel’s chest, drawing a few drops of blood.

Behind him, Castiel heard a delighted giggle.

“Now I see why you wanted him so much, Al. You always liked the feisty ones. Like poor Gavin. He’d seemed so soft and gentle… turned out he was a real fighter.”

Castiel turned his head to the other side and saw Lilith walking around the bed. She must have watched the scene from the doorframe to the bathroom and Castiel had been too concerned about Dean – not to mention his own life – to check out the whole room before. Stupid.

Lilith stopped next to Castiel, smiled down at him and explained: “Now, Al always only gets to play with the toys I pick for him, he knows that – but he was especially excited when I told him I would let him have a go at you. Even so excited that he almost started without me.” Her tone had turned scolding, and Alastair’s shoulders hunched, the omega seemingly penitent of his behaviour. “We planned to come over to your place and have a little drink, all four of us together. But when you visited Al, I’m afraid my little pet got ahead of himself.” She glared at Alastair and looked more dangerous than she sounded. “We’ll talk more about this later.” Lilith turned towards Castiel again, with a teeth-baring smile. “For now, it would be a shame to neglect the opportunity Alastair’s rashness has given us. Fortunately, I came back home just as you left – and Alastair confessed his _mistake_ right away. He’d already prepared everything for the night, so I don’t mind the change of plans too much.”

Castiel suddenly remembered all the cleaning material in Alastair’s kitchen, especially the strong scent blockers. He assumed he brought them with him. All of the previous murder scenes had been completely spotless.

Lilith slowly stalked around the bed and towards Dean. She stopped behind him and gripped his hair harshly, tugging the alpha’s head back.

“I know you’re awake, my darling, so stop pretending. I saw you twitching when Al cut your precious omega. Didn’t like that, did you?”

Dean opened his eyes and looked at Lilith with as much fury as Castiel had ever seen on him. Even unable to move, his alpha was scary. Lilith just seemed amused.

“Ah, hello, my love.” Lilith suddenly sat sideways on Dean’s lap and caressed his face. “I have missed you.”

“You keep that up and I might throw up on you. Bitch.”

Lilith stood up again and pouted. “That is no way to talk to a lady.”

Alastair chuckled, and Castiel had difficulty to decide who was the creepier of the pair.

“Maybe I should teach you a lesson.” Lilith held up her hand and only now did Castiel notice she held her own small knife. She let it stroke over Dean’s arm and from the trail of blood it left behind, it must have been a lot sharper than it looked. Dean did not even move a muscle, but Castiel saw how his jaw tightened. Lilith seemed disappointed, but then, with a smirk, she walked towards Castiel, knife pointed forwards – and Dean’s whole body twitched.

Lilith clapped in her hands in delight, and even Alastair let out a gurgling laugh. The female alpha stroked a hand – not the knife – over Castiel’s chest. And Dean seemed unable to stop the snarl. But his voice sounded unexpectedly calm when he said: “Keep your hands off him.”

“You don’t like it when someone touches your pretty little omega? Oh, but Alastair is so excited.”

“What is this about, Lilith? That I didn’t want you? Are you so desperate you have to force me? You’re a sad excuse for an alpha. Even picked the New Moon and ambushed me in my own house, because you knew you had no chance otherwise.”

Castiel assumed Dean had tried to get her attention away from him – and it worked. Lilith let go of Castiel and walked towards Dean again, fuming with anger.

“I have both of your life in my hands, Dean. So it is not advisable to irritate me further. It would be much more pleasant for all of us if you tried to play along.”

As Lilith prowled the room, and Alastair still held an arm around Castiel, knife in hand, Dean searched Castiel’s gaze. Then he pointedly looked at the side of the bed, and back towards Castiel. Right. Dean kept a gun in his night table. It was not that far away from Castiel – but since his body was still weak and he had a knife grazing up and down his body, he did not see a way how he could get it out. Still, he nodded slightly – telling Dean he got the message, even though he had no illusion he could do anything about it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were so… emotional. I guess I shouldn’t expect anything else from a _woman_.” Dean returned to taunting the female alpha again – who screamed out in rage, and even Alastair straightened up and forgot about Castiel for a moment. “But you’re also an alpha, so get your shit together. You should be tough and not some sentimental girl, crying over the alpha that rejected her.”

“Tough? I’ll give you tough!” Lilith sat on Dean’s lap again, knife loosely at his throat. “I’ve killed six alphas, darling, all men like you. All overestimating themselves, thinking they are better than me.”

Six? Castiel perked up, but Dean looked only mildly interested. At least to the others in the room – Castiel knew the alpha well enough to notice the tight line around his mouth as Alastair continued stroking a hand over Castiel’s chest down to his pants. Then he started to open Castiel’s fly, and a muscle in Dean’s jaw twitched. While the knife was still hovering over his stomach, Castiel did not dare to move – and send out a silent prayer that some miracle would happen. Soon. Because right now, he did not see a way out of their situation. Castiel closed his eyes and fought the feeling of defeat that was starting to claim his whole body. He opened them again as images of the past victims showed up in his mind. It would not help him one bit if he thought about what Alastair might do to him. So he forced his mind to focus on the gun mere feet away, trying to find a way to get there. Or maybe, if they could deflect the couple long enough, Jody Mills would worry because they didn’t answer anymore. It was unlikely however, since they should only report if someone would leave the place or act conspicuous – and no one had expected the murderers to ever act in Little Heaven, much less for Dean and Castiel to be an actual target. But Castiel was willing to grasp at straws.

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you and your little sidekick here have actually hurt someone!” Dean pointed his head at Alastair. “I bet he faints as soon as he sees blood.”

Alastair growled in anger and let go of Castiel’s shoulder, but he was still close enough so the detective could not move unnoticed. Still, he managed to slide just a few inches away. Alastair probably thought it was in fear. Which, to be honest, was part of it.

“On the contrary,” Lilith smiled through blinding teeth, still completely focused on Dean. “He actually enjoys the blood.”

Alastair relaxed – like his mate had just complimented him in a very endearing way. But he still did not say anything, and Castiel was affirmed in his suspicion that Lilith usually ran the show, while Alastair took whatever she offered him.

“He also likes to play with little house omegas. But you’ll see.” She let out another bell-like giggle. “You’ll have the best seat to watch what he likes and what not.”

Dean looked like he thought hard about her words – or maybe he was just trying to swallow down another growl – before he asked almost hesitantly: “So, this is what you do? You go around and… wait, are you those wackos the news is so obsessed about? Those New Moon Killers?”

Lilith pouted. “It is not the name I would have chosen… we are more like _Punishers_.”

Dean rolled his eyes, and in any other circumstance, Castiel would have envied him his boldness. “Because that certainly makes you sound less crazy,” Dean mumbled and both Lilith and Alastair glared at him. Then he asked as if nothing had happened: “So what? Whenever someone turns you down, you decide to … punish them?”

“You make it sound like I am hysterical.”

Dean just raised his eyebrows at her, then: “You’re telling me you aren’t? Then maybe Al here is the crazy one and you just listen to him?”

“You really have a big mouth!” Alastair snarled, but he crouched in on himself as Lilith shot him an angry glare for talking without permission.

“No. Alastair only does as he is told. _I_ pick his toys. _I_ tell him when he gets to play. Like tonight.”

This time, Dean wasn’t able to hide his rage and a low growl escaped his lips at the same time as his arms tried to fight against the ropes. Lilith only seemed to be pleased at his outburst – she even stood up and petted over Alastair’s head, like he was a dog. But Dean had himself under control again quickly.

“Oh, come on, you’re only half an alpha. You can probably not even make the most docile omega obey you.”

“Shut up!” Lilith yelled at him and Castiel could feel the dominant Alpha in her voice. Even though it was not as strong as he had heard from Dean before – so he hoped he would be able to break out of it if need be.

“I’ve had enough with alphas like you. Always thinking you are better, like I am some abomination that is not worth as much as you. I’ll tell you, I am worth a hundred of your kind. I am just as strong and obviously a lot smarter – since I have you here, tied up, unable to do anything.”

Dean asked in a deliberately bored tone: “Why are you really so mad at alphas like me? Because we think you are inferior – or because we don’t want to fuck you?”

Lilith let out a shrill cry, and slapped Dean across the face, twice, hard enough to leave a mark and left his lips bleeding. Alastair had sat up further on the bed and looked at the pair in obvious excitement. Castiel almost forgot what Dean tried to do and wasted a moment to worry before he slipped a few inches towards the nightstand again. He realised that Dean was trying just as much to give Castiel a chance to reach for the gun as he was trying to get a confession they could use later. Looking at the alpha’s face, Castiel thought his plan was both extremely brave – and unbelievably stupid. But it was not like Castiel could argue with him right now.

Despite his burst lips, Dean still smirked: “I’m sorry, I thought this was the whole point – that you want a big alpha knot. You should know, there are certain escort services that deliver alphas as well these days. Maybe you have more luck with that solution.”

But Lilith did not let herself be taunted again. There was a soft sound coming from outside, the growl of a car engine – Cain’s old truck that Castiel had heard countless times before. Lilith sprang to the window and looked through the blinds.

“Ah, the beekeeper leaves. It is really fortunate that both your neighbours decided to be away for the weekend – so no one will mind if things get a little bit loud.”

Castiel felt his heart sink at her words, no one would come to save them – their best hope was Castiel himself and he did not feel like he could rescue even a little kitten right now. But Dean had a smirk on his face that helped Castiel to stay calm – if Dean could be brave, so could he. Lilith sat down on the edge of the bed in front of the alpha detective and smiled amiably again, picking up their conversation from before as if they had not been interrupted.

“No. The _point_ is that I am stronger and smarter than you. Like I was with those other alphas. First, I only wanted to persuade them to move their businesses to Kensington; that is my job, you know. Sometimes, if the alphas were into that kind of thing, I even told them about Little Heaven – when they were believers in the _Right_ Way of alphas and omegas. And I was always very persuasive. See, I got Lucifer to move his headquarters here. _CagedPain_ is now one of the biggest companies in Kensington.” Anger shadowed over her pretty face again. “But not everyone was as respectful as Luc. Some thought it was surprising that I, a woman, was allowed to live here with my omega mate. And others…” she hesitated, almost looking bashful, “…well, others seemed about as welcoming towards my advances as you. So I chose to teach them a lesson. Taught them I was just as worthy as they.” She turned around and looked at Alastair, still sitting beside Castiel, with an almost kind expression. “The first time, I was careless. But I had my faithful omega. When I came home, he smelled the blood and excitement on me. And I smelled his slick. He then told me what I needed to clean up the next time; how he had been able to make little kittens disappear without a trace for ages. I was grateful. And in my gratitude, I brought him with me the third time.” She still smiled fondly at her mate, who responded with a similar expression, like a conventional mated pair who shared a precious memory. Castiel felt the urge to throw up, again.

“And we had so much more fun together.” Her smile turned cold when she looked at Dean again. “So, again, my darling, the _point_ is that I have you bound and at my mercy. I can do with you whatever I want, and with your mate. And if you don’t believe it yet, you will in just a moment.”

She let her hands wander over Dean’s thighs in a way that would have looked seductive in any other circumstance, and the detective spit out: “I’m sorry, bitch, but I don’t think I will get it up for you.”

“Maybe you just need a bit more… stimulation? Maybe you’ll like to watch as your omega gets served first?” Alastair let out an excited giggle at Lilith’s words. “See, Al is already looking forward to it. He so likes his pretty little omega toys.”

“I don’t blame him. He probably doesn’t know what he’s missing, being tied to a poor excuse of an alpha like you.”

This time, Lilith was not able to swallow down her rage. She rose from the bed, towered over Dean and slapped him over the face again, this time using the handle of the knife for additional force, then even kicked a foot into his stomach. Dean groaned when she finally let her knife crack the skin at his neck. Alastair jumped off the bed and watched with wide eyes, laughing excitedly like a child that gets a big present.

At the same time, Castiel rolled over, opened the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a gun with ivory handles, Dean’s favourite. He unlocked the safety and pointed the weapon at the two villains next to Dean.

“Greenville PD, drop the knives!” Castiel boomed in a surprisingly steady voice.

Alastair’s eyes widened, and he stumbled a step backwards. The omega instantly obeyed and let his knife fall to the floor, more from surprise than anything else, Castiel assumed. He then looked at Lilith and fear shone in his eyes – she would not be happy that Alastair had listened to anyone other than her.

Lilith herself did not let go of her weapon; instead, she left it at Dean’s neck, where a string of blood was still running down his shirt. The alpha bit his still bleeding lips to stop a hiss of pain.

“Police? Who are you trying to scare here, omega? Now, be a good boy, and drop the gun before someone gets hurt.” She pressed the knife deeper into Dean’s skin, her meaning clear.

Castiel hesitated, unsure what he should do next. He met Dean’s gaze and the alpha lightly shook his head no. Of course Dean wouldn’t want him to listen to Lilith. But what did he expect Castiel to do? Wait until Lilith slashed his throat? Shoot her and hope she wouldn’t have the time to kill Dean before she died?

Then, to make it worse, Castiel noticed a movement from the other side of Dean. Alastair had recovered from his initial shock and moved to pick up his knife. Castiel impulsively pointed his gun at him again. The movement made him dizzy. Slow. He was too slow. His body, halfway sitting, half lying on the bed, still felt heavy and dull.

“I’m not gonna count to ten, omega. Drop the gun.” Lilith said in a cold voice.

Castiel hesitantly lowered the gun – but then there was a loud crash coming from downstairs. And multiple things happened at the same time.

Alastair bowed down to pick up his knife again, but, without thinking, Castiel fired the gun – it was only a grazing shot on Alastair’s arm, but it was effective enough that the tall omega retreated with a painful howl. At the same time, Lilith had been distracted by the loud thump at the front door that she lifted her knife from Dean’s throat for a second. The detective used the opportunity – he leaned sideways and then clashed into Lilith with his head and shoulder with so much force that the woman stumbled back a few steps – and Dean, still bound tightly to the chair, landed sideways on the floor with a loud grunt.

Castiel, gun still in hand, turned towards Lilith again and yelled “freeze!” before she had any time to recover. A second later, the door to their bedroom sprung open, and in rushed Sam and Eileen, followed by Cain Knight. The detectives had guns in their hands, the beekeeper was armed with his axe.

For a second, it was like someone had hit the pause button – and everyone sorted through what was happening in slow motion. The three newcomers stared at the scene before them:

Castiel was still somewhat kneeling on the bed, only dressed in halfway opened pants, pointing a gun with trembling arms. Alastair was crouching near the balcony door, howling while he held his bleeding arm. Dean lay on the floor, arms and legs tied to a sturdy chair. And Lilith, knife falling to the floor, laughed hysterically. Or maybe she was crying, it was hard to tell.

Sam was the first one to move.

“Dean!” He yelled and rushed to his brother, ignoring anyone else for the moment. He picked up Alastair’s knife on the floor and started to free his brother from the ropes. “Are you all right?”

“Just peachy,” Dean grumbled, face already swollen. Castiel rushed from the bed and kneeled at the other side of his alpha. He had to steady himself, feeling dizzy from the fast movement.

“Dean!” Castiel breathed and the alpha raised a hand to his face. Then Dean tried to sit up. Somewhere, Castiel noticed that Eileen was calling in enhancement as well as an ambulance while she still held a gun to Lilith’s face. But he was more focused on Dean who swaggered and both Castiel and Sam helped him straighten up.

“Hey, gorgeous. You were pretty quick there.” Dean looked over Castiel’s body and let out a growl at the scratches on his arms and chest. Castiel almost wanted to laugh – a few cuts were nothing compared to what he had feared just a few minutes ago. And he was far better off than the alpha. He was about to say as much, but Dean’s expression turned more worried, even --- guilty. “I’m sorry I put you in danger for so long.”

“You? Dean, you were amazing. Without you, I would have never been able to…”

Castiel’s stopped as Dean just kept looking to the floor and gave off a strong scent of doubt and guilt.  He then looked at Sam and thought out loud: “How did you know you had to burst in?”

Sam pointed at Cain: “We were waiting outside of town on observation duty. Then Mr Knight suddenly halted next to us and told us Dean and you might be in danger and we should run over asap.” He shrugged. “It was a bit strange – Jody had just texted us we should watch Cain after he’d leave town, and then he sent us over to you.” He looked at Alastair, then at Lilith, and smiled softly. “But it seems like you already had everything under control.”

Castiel still was confused.

“But how…?”

“I smelled them.” Dean interrupted him, still not meeting his eyes. “I just came from Cain’s and had already texted Jody on the way. Then… at the front door, I smelled … sulphur. Like Lilith. And Alastair.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t… Cas, I didn’t believe it was both of them, or that they had already drugged you. But I thought something was … fishy. So I turned around and asked Cain if he could wait for me for half an hour – that would be enough time to find out what was going on, maybe even lure a confession out of them. If I wouldn’t return by then, he should drive out of town and find a giant in a car. Send him in. I even told him we were detectives.” He looked up and met Cain’s gaze. “Thank you.”

“Happy to be of service,” Cain grumbled out, and to Castiel’s surprise, the man seemed to be the least confused of the whole group. Maybe decades in the military had that effect on people.

Dean slowly raised from the floor, and Castiel and Sam stood up as well. Dean took Castiel’s hand in his. “I was reckless, and stupid. I was not prepared for two people and wanted to get the gun from the kitchen – but then Lilith dropped a vase on my head and I only remember waking up tied to a chair. Still, I thought I could stall until Sammy would come.” He let a hand wander over Castiel’s chest in a featherlight touch. “I am so sorry you got hurt.”

Castiel raised a hand to Dean’s face – the less bruised side. “So am I. If you were reckless, the same goes for me. I was stupid enough to get drugged. I should have never accepted a beverage from anyone on a New Moon.”

Dean frowned and almost growled out: “That was not your fault. No one suspected an omega was involved in the killings. How would they even have been able to leave town? And we never expected the murderers to act in Little Heaven, it would be too close to home and they always wanted to take the safe route, until now. No one could have known what would happen.”

“Exactly.” Castiel smiled. “So, instead of you being reckless, I think you were rather cautious by telling someone to call Sam. You listened to your gut – and that is what you usually do best.”

Dean opened his mouth to argue some more about how he had totally failed Castiel when Sam interrupted: “Can’t we just agree that we have all not been at our best tonight? Eileen and I even argued with Cain for three precious minutes because we weren’t sure he was just trying to deflect us so he could go murder someone himself.” Not even this comment seemed to faze the stoic widower. There were nervous chuckles all around. “But in the end, no one got fatally injured and we can lock up the killers, so I’d still call it a win.”

Eileen had suddenly conjured some bandages from somewhere and threw them towards Sam, so he could start taking care of Dean’s wounds. With Eileen’s focus shifting from her prisoner, if only for a second, Lilith tried to silently sneak out of the door. Which was a fairly stupid idea. Cain blocked the doorframe with just one step to the right, and Castiel was up on his feet in a flash – and overly enthusiastic at the opportunity to hold her back, rather forcefully, as he slammed her towards the wall while Eileen handed him handcuffs.

In response to the pained cry of his mate, Alastair, who had been cowering on the floor until that moment, howled out as Castiel pressed the cursing Lilith against the hard wall and threw himself at the detective in a senseless fit of rage, unarmed as he might have been. But before he could get very far, Dean had stepped in between and punched Alastair in the face – the omega flew mid-movement to the floor, knocked out unconscious. Still, Dean kicked him again in the side – not too hard, but certainly not too gentle either.

“That felt really good,” Dean breathed out.

“Dean!” Castiel yelled at the same time as Sam shouted: “You’re an officer of the law!”

“What? He was attacking us. I just defended myself. You’d rather I shot him dead?”

Dean’s tone of voice hinted that _he_ ’d much rather just had shot the omega.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had hoped he could lie down as soon as the paramedics had looked him over. The drug had already worn off completely, and Castiel was grateful he had not drunk the whole cup of coffee – this night might have ended a lot different then.

After the killer couple was arrested, Dean and Castiel, as well as Sam, Eileen and Cain, had to re-narrate the events of the evening about a dozen times – and somewhere around five in the morning, Castiel just wanted to fall asleep in the interrogation room. At first, he had understood the carefulness of the police – he knew that the fact that two undercover agents were the direct targets of two nationwide searched murderers could as easily been held against them. Not to mention that the press would start to leech over it in a few hours. There had already been a photographer and a small news crew when Lilith and Alastair were lead away from Little Heaven.

So Castiel had talked to Jody and Donna, had talked to Federal Investigators, twice, had been probed by paramedics again. Somewhere in the middle while he waited for another detective to ask for another report, he had called Meg and paraphrased the events of the night even to her. She was worried and apologised a hundred times for not having been there to help him. On the other hand, Meg and Crowley had succeeded in getting Lucifer arrested as well. He had stopped at an illegal establishment – and after a tip from Meg, police officers had caught him in bed with two fourteen-year-old omegas. Crowley hoped that they would at least be able to close the brothel – but no one was too hopeful that Lucifer wouldn’t be able to buy his way out of his little predicament.

“Who knew that Lilith and Alastair would team up to follow their sadistic needs. Maybe they suited each other better than we thought.”

“I don’t know,” Castiel mumbled. “In a perfect world, Lilith would not have been told she can’t love another alpha, and no one would judge her or Alastair just by their gender. And then maybe it wouldn’t have come to that.”

“I know what you mean, Clarence. But we all have tough lives – and we don’t all go around killing people. I think they are sadistic bastards, no matter how they would have been raised. Or maybe they are just completely crazy – at least Alastair sounds like that.”

Fortunately, Castiel would not be responsible for judging anyone’s state of mind. As long as both Lilith and Alastair would be locked away for the rest of their lives, he could not bring himself to care. He hung up on Meg after a quick goodbye – someone was calling him for another interview.

At some point, his voice was already hoarse from all the talking, the stress of the night was just getting too much for Castiel – and all he wanted to do was to go to sleep in his alpha’s arms. He had not seen Dean for hours since they had all been interrogated separately, and he worried, thinking back on how wounded he had been.

Jody Mills might have seen Castiel – eyes falling closed while he was fighting sleep and Rowena still probed him with questions like he was a suspect – because she suddenly barged in and yelled at the Federal Investigators for risking the health of her detectives; detectives who had just been wounded while single-handedly stopping serial killers no less. Something the FI had not been able to do.

Castiel nodded gratefully at his Captain and then wandered through the darker parts of the precinct. He let out a relieved sigh when he finally found Dean. The alpha sprinted up towards him in an instant and wrapped his arms around Castiel, nose pressed into his neck. The omega let out a purring sound and melted into the alpha’s body, both men still careful not to touch any bandaged bruises or cuts.

Castiel finally leaned back and gazed up at Dean – the alpha looked horrible, bruises all over his face, split lips, and his usually glinting eyes seemed dull.

“I can’t believe you taunted her so much she would use you as a punching bag, just to distract them from me.” Castiel licked his lips and added gravely: “That was very brave of you, Dean.”

“Nah,” Dean shrugged. “I knew you’d save me eventually.”

“Really?” Castiel scoffed in disbelief.

“Sure. That bitch called you a _pretty little omega_. Knew you wouldn’t let that slide.”

With a mixture of a laugh and a sob, Castiel buried his face in the crook of Dean’s neck.

“Let’s go home and get some sleep,” Dean said and Castiel nodded enthusiastically.

Then he remembered: There was no shared home anymore. Dean had his place and Castiel lived with Gabriel. He had to fight tears at the thought – although he was nearly a hundred percent sure that his sudden sentimentality had more to do with the fact that he had almost been raped and murdered tonight. He suddenly even felt bad for hiding the truth from his brother for weeks. He could be dead now, and never have had the chance to explain things to Gabriel. His brother would have been so mad at him. He should go home, his own home, but all he wanted to do was lie in Dean’s arms and forget about the outside world for a few more hours. Pretend he was mated to Dean Winchester and ignore the press flurry that would surely start after the arrest of a nation-wide wanted serial killer couple.

Dean might have read his mind: “You’ll come with me, right?”

Castiel hesitated and explained half-heartedly: “I should probably go home. Tell Gabriel what happened…” But even as he said those words, Castiel had not even managed to lift his head from Dean’s shoulder.

“He has not seen you for weeks, Cas. He can wait another day. And you need to sleep, baby.”

 “You too.”

“Yes, I do. So how about we go to my place and get a few hours’ sleep and tomorrow you can call your brother.” Dean stroked a hand up and down Castiel’s back, and with the warm embrace and Dean’s strong scent, Castiel felt like he might like to fall asleep right there. “Come on, sweetheart. Please. I need you near me tonight.” Dean kissed him on the forehead. “Need to know you’re safe.”

At that, Castiel could not even pretend to resist anymore.

He left the building hand in hand with Dean. On the way, they only met their Captain who smiled warmly but didn’t say anything other than: “Don’t come back before you haven’t slept twelve hours straight.”

 

>><< 

 

When they arrived at Dean’s apartment, Castiel had no interest in looking around. Any other time, he would be curious of Dean’s living conditions, but for now, he just let Dean lead him to the bathroom. After a quick shower, cautious not to get water on the bandages on his arm and neck, he dressed in some of Dean’s shirts and boxers – and only moments later, both men snuggled together on the bed. Which was much smaller than the one they were used to. Not that Castiel was complaining.

Sometime during the night – or rather day – Castiel shrieked up, dreams and memories of Alastair waiting by his side disorientated him for a moment. But before he was even fully awake, Dean was crooning sweet words into his ear.

“Shh, sweetheart, it’s all right. You are safe. There’s just me.”

And Castiel fell back asleep again.

Many hours later, Castiel woke up in a lonely bed with a growling stomach. He first went to the bathroom, then searched for Dean in the surprisingly spacious flat. But instead of the alpha, he just found a note in the kitchen:

_Getting food. Will be right back. Make yourself at home._

Of course, after he had been gone for weeks, Dean would not have a well-stocked fridge right now. One look told Castiel there was only beer and left-over peperoni. He took the opportunity to look around the apartment and decided he liked the place. It was an old building, but well kept. The furniture was a bit cluttered, but it fit together nicely, giving the space a cosy atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, Dean was not much for decorations or houseplants, but the old wood and the high ceilings and tall windows were pretty decorative in itself. Then there was the smell of the place. Even though the alpha hadn’t been here for weeks, his scent was everywhere, and it made Castiel purr in contentment.

He did not open any cupboards or drawers of course, feeling already honoured that Dean had left him at alone and let him have a look around. Castiel might not have been that relaxed with unexpected guests.

It all felt homey – a lot more than the expensive house they had just lived in. And it would be big enough for two people.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Castiel mumbled as he looked around some more. He heard a key being pushed into the door but still opened the last room he had not seen. It was a small home office/ junk room, stuffed full of all kinds of things. A desk with a computer, an old pool table, some folders and boxes.

If they cleaned the room up a bit, it might be enough for a nursery – but it would probably be too small if they had more than one child.

“Oh, stop it!” Castiel chided himself.

“Stop what?” Dean asked and Castiel turned around, red in the face.

“Nothing,” he answered weakly.

Dean didn’t press and walked to the kitchen where he unloaded his numerous bags.

“I didn’t know what you wanted so I brought a bit of everything. There are pancakes, and salad, burgers, eggs with bacon, cinnamon rolls and even some fruit. Thought we would have breakfast, lunch and dinner at once.”

Castiel laughed at the amount of food on the table – but at the same time his stomach growled again, and he sat down next to Dean, showing nearly as much fervour at eating as the alpha.

The whole time, they touched each other lightly, affirming themselves the other one was safe and healthy. They had not talked about the events of last night – at least not with each other – until Dean asked.

“How are you, Cas?”

“I’m fine, Dean.” The alpha kept staring. “Well, maybe not _fine_. It will probably take some time until I’ll be able to smell cooked eggs again without the urge to throw up. Or take a drink from someone I don’t know well. But… I’m all right. I will be. It helps, that we were able to fight them off.”

Castiel reached for the fries again, and Dean stated: “You don’t have to act tough, you know. It’s all right to…”

“So, how are _you_ , Dean?”

“Me? I’m good.” Dean tried for a cocky smile that would have been more convincing if his face wasn’t all blue and red. Castiel glared at him. “Seriously. I’m not the one who nearly got…you know…”

“Dean. We _both_ nearly got _killed_ last night.” Castiel reached for the pie; there was a glint in his eyes when he added: “You don’t have to act tough, you know.”

Dean chuckled, and Castiel really hoped he got the message that Castiel, just because he was an omega, was not the only one who would be allowed to feel shaken. And of course he was. But like he had said, it helped that he had been able to do more than lying motionlessly on the bed. And that they accomplished to put a couple of sadistic murderers behind bars.

But as much as it was okay for him to admit to his insecurities, Dean could do the same thing. Castiel knew his partner was in no way as _old-fashioned_ as the residents of Little Heaven, but there were still too many stereotypes in his head. Like that it was the alpha’s job to be confident at all times while it was acceptable for an omega to lean onto a strong shoulder. But that was okay, for now. It would take time to assure Dean that Castiel had a pretty strong shoulder as well, and that it was okay to lean onto the omega from time to time.

Castiel was patient.

When they were finally finished with their meal, Dean looked at him contemplatively.

“What?” Castiel asked.

“If we watch a movie now, on my couch, does this count as our first date?”

Castiel laughed. He loved how easily Dean could make him smile. “Maybe we should call Captain Mills first. We probably have to…”

“Already done. She doesn’t expect us before tomorrow.”

Castiel saw the urgency in Dean’s eyes and he could sympathise. It sounded like heaven to blend out the outside world for another day. He also assumed Dean still needed to assure himself that Castiel was safe. No matter how easily Dean had brushed it off, Castiel knew it must have been hard for him to be tied to a chair, not able to protect Castiel with sheer force. He assumed it did not even have to do so much with the fact that they were in a relationship – he could easily see Dean be just as devastated had he thought he had failed Donna or anyone else he thought was in need of his protection. Maybe he would have to punch him again for thinking Castiel was too weak to be responsible for himself. But only after they both felt better. For now, he would let him have his alpha moment.

“You already picked a movie?” Castiel asked, remembering Dean had insisted he would decide, not trusting Castiel’s taste.

“The Princess Bride.”

“The Princess Bride?” Castiel asked in surprise. He might have never seen the movie, but he had read the book. He couldn’t help but tease: “Sounds like a total chick flick!”

How far he had come since he was a stuttering mess in the kitchen, hardly able to answer a simple question from his alpha.

“What? No!” Dean widened his eyes in pretended shock. “It’s about fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.” He winked, and it only seemed the tiniest bit strained. “It’s totally manly!”

Castiel laughed again and walked slowly towards the couch. On the way, he remembered his phone. “Mind if I charge it while we watch. Battery’s out.”

Dean handed him his charger – and just as the movie started, Castiel heard about a dozen pings of voice and text messages when his phone finally came to live again. Castiel looked at it like it might bite him. Most messages seemed to be from Gabriel. While he was still contemplating if he truly wanted to listen to them, the phone rang again.

Calling, of course, was Gabriel.

Dean paused the movie – Wesley had not even been able to say “as you wish” yet! – and Castiel hesitantly picked up after an encouraging nudge from Dean.

“Hello, Gabriel. How are you?”

“How are you?! _How are you_?! Is that all you have to say. The whole day I see my little brother on the news with a crazy story about some killers who tried to murder him. They said the detectives got wounded – and you can’t even pick up you damned phone?! You better be half-dead, because that will be the only excuse that might help you now.”

Castiel closed his eyes and tried to pick his next words wisely.

Obviously, he would have to face the world sooner than he would have liked.

But as Dean gently stroked over his arm while he tried to explain the situation to his outraged (and worried) brother, Castiel was reminded that he didn’t have to do it alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always: Comments and kudos make my day. <3
> 
> I would absolutely love to write a sequel with those two and a new (probably shorter) case. There are some ideas swirling around my head – but I’m not sure when I’ll find the time or if some other idea gets me off track. ;-)
> 
> English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes. :-)


	11. Author’s Note

****Hello everyone! :-D

Just to let you know: New Moon in Little Heaven is now part of a series; my ABO Detective Verse. I just posted the beginning of the second story which can be found as Full Moon in Peaceful Haven. Yeah, I know, I’m not happy with the title either, but I wanted some continuity. :-p

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes. :-)


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